Note: I was never quite comfortable with the word "easement" or the term "easement of the month" to describe what I used to call "anti-anxiety tools." So I've switched to the phrase "Practicing Ease." I'll continue to share these kinds of posts on the first Wednesday of each month.
There is much grief in the world these days. Much loss, much pain, much fear, on personal as well as collective, national and international, levels. Holding it all in can lead to stress and tension, even illness.
Tears, the close companion of compassion, can be a healing response. Washington Irving (of Rip Van Winkle fame) said, "There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of...unspeakable love."
But if the tears are overwhelming, if they keep coming and coming and coming, it would be wise to seek support from someone who can help you find your way back from the deluge of that sadness.
It is, of course, good to find comfort and companionship in sadness even if you aren't overwhelmed.
When I was in a time of great sorrow in my life a number of years ago, I came across this poem by Sascha Wagner in a Compassionate Friends newsletter:
When sorrow leaves your spoken words behind,
When only silence ponders in your mind,
When neither thought nor voice nor touching hand
can find an image or a language for your pain...
Then do be brave and let your tears explain.
Thank you, Sascha.
Have courage. Allow sadness. Seek comfort.
Until next time,
Dawn
Photo/image credits:
Two adults, Liz Fitch, unSplash
Mother and child, Jordan Whitt, unSplash
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