The
following are suggested safe ways to act out feelings.
1.
Write in a Journal. Writing down the feelings or emotions, gets
them out, down on paper and is a way of being able to look at things
more objectively.
2.
Pound a pillow, your mattress with fists or a tennis racket. (Please
stay away from walls. We don't want you in a cast with fractured
hands from wall punching).
3.
Scream in a pillow, in the shower, in your car, or in the woods.
A
variation of this is an American Indian ritual:
Go out into the woods or a place that is private. Dig a hole in
the ground near a tree or bush. Pour all of your feelings into that
hole. When you are finished, cover the hole. Thank the tree (or
bush) for listening and witnessing your grief process. Thank Mother
Earth for receiving your grief. Leave feeling better about yourself
and more connected to the universe.
4.
Have a temper tantrum on your bed, mattress or couch (carefully).
5.
Go for a long walk or run. Notice how your body is feeling, your
breathing, how your legs are moving. Enjoy being out in nature.
6.Twist
a towel (or pull between a friend or a large dog)
7.
Howl, wail, yell, scream. Laugh, cry, sing. Whatever noise or expression
seems to express how you feel. In the words of Elton John, "Sad
songs say so much."
8.
Laugh uproariously, raucously and with abandon, at least once a
day. Laughter is good for the soul.
9.
Paint, draw, doodle, scribble, decoupage, create something.
10.
Dance, skip, saunter, gallop, hop. Move in whatever way seems to
work.
11.
Do the necessary grief work, in whatever form seems to work best
with you.
12.
Join a support group, with meetings, or on-line.
13.
Look for resources on grief, do not underestimate the helpfulness
of books. Visit a local library or bookstore and see what books
seem to help. There are grief books written on a variety of topics,
from a variety of different perspectives depending on the type of
loss.
14.
Talk to someone--a friend, family member, counselor, or clergy member,
even a pet or stuffed animal.