Mantra for the Week
“I can make room for what hurts and stay open to what nourishes me.”
Let this meet you gently as you move through your next few weeks.
Hi friends,
I'm starting with a truth bomb: Being content requires learning how to live with grief.
There is so much to be sad about. So much to be angry about. So much we want to fix that we can't. Some moments, we can make room for that reality. Other moments, we struggle.
Grief isn't only about losing people we love. It's losing ideals. It's the changing shape of relationships as we move through life. It's letting go of what we thought would happen, what we hoped someone could offer, or who we imagined we would become.
There may be no returning to who we were before a loss. But our relationship with grief can change. We can learn to witness it, give it some space, and still validate what hurts.
There is value in recognizing when our desires aren't met. It teaches us what matters to us—what we want, what we love, what we need. We learn through contrast. That, too, is part of being human.
This is the practice of making room for everything. The sadness, the anger, the longing. The joy that still finds us. The gratitude that can exist alongside disappointment. We can hold more than one truth at a time.
And there is strength in softness. It takes courage to let ourselves feel something we cannot resolve. To acknowledge how deeply we care while loosening our grip on how life has to unfold.
So much of grief is love. Love for a person, a possibility, a particular way of being together. The heaviness of wanting something precious to stay.
Whatever our practice looks like, perhaps it helps us allow these feelings to move through us, at their own pace. To keep making room for life as it changes.
Stay soft, stay open. Perhaps contentment includes knowing we can feel what hurts and still be available to what we love.
If you'd like some dedicated space to explore what you're carrying, a PUPS session offers time to pause, reconnect with yourself, and make room for what's unfolding. You're welcome to reach out to learn more or schedule now. Schedule a 60 minute session here; a 45 minute session here.
A Simple Grounding Practice: Softening Into Support
Take a moment to feel the support beneath you. Let your jaw soften and your hands rest open.
Ask yourself: What is asking for space today?
Name whatever comes, without needing to explain or change it. Notice where you feel it in your body, then gently bring your attention back to the support beneath you.
Ask: What might nourish me right now?
Allow the answer to be small: a little quiet, a glass of water, fresh air, connection.
Take one small step for yourself toward meeting that need.
May you find room for what's here and softness as you meet it.
Warmly,
Lisa Jacobson, LPC