Although you would prefer to have your life as it were before, the reality is that grief and loss transforms you. It forces you to develop new skills and reconstruct how you view the world, yourself, and the people around you. Positive changes developed in the wake of tragedy are called posttraumatic growth and fall under five domains:
Increased sense of personal strength
Awareness of new possibilities
Improved compassion for one’s self and others
Appreciation for life in general
Spiritual change or growth
This does not happen overnight, and not everyone experiences all five. So be patient and kind to yourself wherever you are on the journey. Know that eventually you will rebuild your shattered worldview and create a meaningful and coherent life that you can live with.
Informal Practice
Scan for indications of your posttraumatic growth during the day. When you face a challenge, do you feel stronger? Are you engaging in new activities? How are you relating to the world around you, and how is it different from before?
This is similar to the Taking In The Good exercise in Module 5. The difference is you are focusing on the positive changes in yourself.