I’m approaching 10 years as a widow. At times, it’s been tough and challenging, sad and lonely, and scary and intimidating—but it’s also been filled with lessons learned, mindset resets, and lots of reminders calling for self-love, self-care, and lots of self-acceptance.
The Widowhood was my home. It wasn’t a bad place to live, until it became my comfort zone. It took a few years before I realized it’s not the place I wanted to live. Grief lasts as long as love lasts, and love lasts forever. I had to figure out how to grieve, accept, and move forward. I had to learn to support myself in my grief, as I continued to accept and adjust to my new normal. I had to shift my mindset.
As you probably know, life in the Widowhood comes complete with all the reasons and excuses to stop living and stop enjoying life. You may even begin to exist on auto pilot. However, it also comes with plenty of reasons to reset and re-self. You’ll have to adapt to the YOU that supports your new independence. You’ll never be okay, but you must learn to support yourself and adjust.
A mindset reset is in order. Leaving the often-hopeless mindset of widowhood involves a few shifts and lots of self-awareness. It involves self-discovery and self-rediscovery. Some parts of life will need reimagining. You’ll need to take lots of deep breaths; then, you’ll be able to set your soul free.
It’s time to be YOU, guilt-free, with a healthy hold on the past and a future vision filled with self-care and self-awareness. It’s time to create and move into an updated, renovated Widowhood, tailored to who and where you want to be now. This is positive aging!