When you are feeling grief stricken it is hard to get going. Being active and participating may not sound appealing at all, but getting physical is a great way to give yourself a positive boost away from sadness. As a matter of fact, the most difficult thing about mourning may be reintegrating and getting back to “normal life.” Starting with an exercise routine is a great way to heal yourself, feel positive, and be healthy at the same time.
Getting Started
It’s easy to continue feeling bad. The cycle can become a vicious one if not corrected. Give yourself an incentive for getting of bed and doing something physical. Or do it for someone you love! Motivate yourself by thinking of others in your life who you love and love you back. For many people love is a great way to self-motivate and feel powerful realizing that you have an effect on others who love you.
If this still doesn’t work for you then maybe it would be more effective to find a partner to get physical with at the gym, or for a jog. Joining a gym, signing up and making a commitment to a class or to someone else may also help you to get yourself out the door and onto the pavement of physical activity. Perhaps purchasing a bicycle or rollerblades may be a great way to ensure that you will make it outdoors and start moving.
Why Should You Bother?...
…Because of the long list of health benefits working out and activity can provide. Stress is a natural part of mourning, but is also a part of everyday life. Physical activity is something to help ease the mourning process that you can continue to have in your life. With all of the positive benefits and the results that you can achieve on a physical and metal level, physical activity is a healthy fix to many problems. John McCarthy, executive director of the International Health Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) states that "regular physical activity can help counter the potentially damaging effects of stress on the body and may help prevent stress-related illnesses." Not only that, but McCarthy also states: "These activities provide a natural way to release tension in the body and will often lead to an automatic state of relaxation that naturally follows a good workout." Therefore exercise can relieve stress and tension within the body, so that you can feel more relaxed and have a clearer mind.
Working out not only help mentally, but it can also prevent health problems, help with current medical issues, and it can actually be fun. Your workout may bring a smile to your face, and get you feeling stronger at a time when mourning makes you feel weak.
How to Start
Working out and getting physical are wonderful ways to take care of yourself and feel the positive effects of adrenaline. If running, and high-energy classes aren’t for you perhaps a relaxing Yoga, or Pilates class may be the way to go. How about taking a brisk walk in the morning to start your day off with energy and a positive vibe? The benefits are astounding, and once you motivate, and get going, you will feel good, and keep this positivity in your life within mourning, and thereafter.
