Travel Update: Grief on the Go (with Hope)…
We are leaving Texas today with heavy hearts.
We leave without our beloved 16-year-old tuxedo cat, Shay Shay.
She was worsening with cat dementia…
Lost too much weight… Stopped playing…
Indifferent to being petted.
Overall, our fur baby had a poor quality of life and it was time to let go.
No Time for Formal Goodbye
Unfortunately, there was no time to obtain ashes. The lovely people at the pet vet and pet crematory would be spreading her ashes for me on their lovely property.
Share Your Grief
I am a firm believer in sharing our grief with time and others.
This can be a support group or even starting with a supportive book on grief. There are a few books I have shared with friends and patients who are grieving.
I like this book: On Grief & Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss by author Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, M.D. & David Kessler.
Time to Grieve
Fortunately, I’d had time enough to process with months of her declining health so I was not as overcome with grief.
Enough time to grieve is important.
Also important is having someone to share in the space of your grief…
As a sounding board to listen and to share the burden.
Grieve with Others
Talking to my adult daughter (Shay Shay was her pet until she went to college) throughout the process helped.
She assured me I was doing right by our furry darling.
No longer really living, just existing. Extreme weight loss…She was suffering.
Hearing this from my beautiful daughter helped me get through it.
Sharing the burden of grief with each other helped us both.
Why We Share Grief?
It doesn’t come natural for some of us to reach out with our grief.
I struggle with it myself. But I force myself to do it.
I welcome others when they reach out with their grief.
I accept it like a baked goodie…
Or as Pema Chödrön put it,
“Hold onto the Unwanted as if it is a Chocolate chip cookie.”
We sit together in the shit.
Holding onto our chocolate shit cookies.
We are social creatures. We need each other.
We are not alone.
Acupuncture and Meditation
Acupuncture can help the nervous system during grief.
Setting up a daily meditation practice can help, too.
More info and resources on grief Here.
Written by Aleesha Kaplan, LAc.
Aleesha Kaplan, LAc is a licensed acupuncturist with a Master’s degree in acupuncture. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree from Hamline University.
She became interested in acupuncture and holistic medicine when acupuncture virtually cured her of 17 years of debilitating migraine pain caused by a collision with a semi-truck in high school.
This rich experience helps her to empathize with her patients. Aleesha specializes in treating acute and chronic pain and anxiety that can go with it.
DISCLAIMER
This article is not intended to replace any health care. No information on this site should be relied on to determine medical diagnosis or treatment for a medical condition. As with any health concerns, always be sure to consult your health care provider with any health concerns.
