By Lisa Peacock —

During the Holiday season, it is normal to get lost in rituals from you past.  If you have lost someone close to you, these rituals can be painful, harsh reminders of the loved one’s absence.  They also can release pain and move you forward in your grieving. Seek balance between rituals of grief and hope.

If you are grieving someone and would like to find ways to open to hope, contemplate the following options:

1) Create new rituals. Visit new restaurants, go somewhere you have never been before.

2) Take an old ritual and update it. If you bake cookies, try new recipes. If you have always invited people over on a certain date, pick a new date.

3) Surround yourself with people you love and pick new events to attend .

If you are looking for ways to specifically remember your loved one, contemplate these options:

1) Go to a favorite place for you and your loved one and reminisce.

2) Watch old home videos.

3) Bake or cook the person’s favorite dishes.

4) Tell those close to you to know that you are missing someone.

5) Take time to enjoy the joy that you felt with your loved one.

6) Set up a candle in your house to signify the presence of the loved one.

There are many options for the holidays to get overwhelmed and lost in grief.  Do not let your holiday season be stolen this year.  Create a balance of grief and life.

Lisa Peacock is executive director of the Peacock Foundation, www.peacockfoundation.org.

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Lisa Peacock

Lisa Peacock is the founder of The Peacock Foundation, a life-altering, non-profit organization dedicated to helping grieving and suffering children. Peacock faced hardships at an early age, including the deaths of both parents. In 1987, at age 9, Lisa suffered the loss of her father in a plane crash. Then at 19, her mother died in a car accident. She dealt with depression, anxiety, guilt, and anger. While coping with her situation, she felt a calling to help others who were suffering from traumas. In 2002, The Peacock Foundation was founded. The foundation quickly began programs at South Park in South Central Los Angeles. There we were able to breathe hope in the lives of young children coping with gang violence, sub-level education, a lack of parental involvement, depression, fear, and more. Subsequently, the Foundation began programs all over LA County. The programs are always focused on youth that are coping with traumatic situations that inhibit their development and security. The Peacock Foundation strives to provide the best support care to youth who would otherwise not receive the services we offer. Trauma care for everyone should be a given not a goal. Lisa appeared on the radio show “Healing the Grieving Heart” discussing “Finding Meaning After the Loss of Both Parents.” To hear LIsa being interviewed on this show by Dr. Gloria & Dr. Heidi Horsley, go to the following link: https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/26379/find-meaning-after-the-loss-of-both-parents

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