Embracing Life

Gladys Margarita Pérez, Coralee Quintana

Description

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, we have been living through many uncertainties, changes, and losses. We have revised our daily routines, relied more heavily on digital space, and many have lost jobs and loved ones. The number of suicides and divorces has soared, and we’ve had to be apart from some family and friends for longer than we imagined.
With these challenges in mind, Coralee Quintana and Gladys Margarita Pérez share a pandemic loss journal accompanied by lovely illustrations that provides a reflective platform for anyone who has suffered a loss during this time and wishes to work through their anguish and grief to find hope again. As journalers answer introspective questions within a safe space, they learn how to care for themselves, regain control over the many emotions that surround their loss, face fears, and release guilt, resentments, and anger, all while beginning to move toward the future they envision..
Embracing Life: A Pandemic Loss Journal shares writing prompts and helpful resources to lead those grieving loss on an insightful journey within to bring complex feelings to light and move toward healing.
“This invaluable workbook with beautiful illustrations underscores the central message to value oneself during this healing journey with the ultimate goal of regaining that joyful voice and inner spirit in overcoming the anxieties and releasing the personal pain and any self-doubt and guilt. This is a precious and essential gift for us all!”
—Frank S. Davila, PhD, educator and author
“This book really helped. I liked the privacy because I felt like I could express my feelings and vent knowing no one else was going to read it.”
—Marilyn Gallegos, Albuquerque, NM
“My clients have lost homes, jobs, connection with colleagues, connections with teachers and fellow students and an overall sense of security. They have lost children, parents, grandparents and friends. Each day feels scary and uncertain. After I read this book, I felt a sense of hope and imagined myself using this book to help countless others.”
—Elisa C. DeVargas, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist, University of New Mexico

Sujets

• Quintana
• Pérez (disambiguation)
• Journaling
• Self-help
• Loss
• Pandemic
• Journey
• Grief
• Perez
• Journal

Informations

• Publié par: Balboa Press
• Date de parution: 24 novembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9798765235355
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 7 Mo

Extrait

Embracing Life







A Pandemic Loss Journal


By Coralee Quintana and Gladys Margarita Pérez
Artworks by Guilloume


















For Tiffany, December 23, 1989–January 29, 2022
For Deaudre, who lost her father and her partner within five months; Erica, who lost her son to a car crash; Abel, who lost his father; and Martin, who lost his mother to COVID-19.
For every one of us who has had a loss …







Copyright © 2022 Coralee Quintana & Gladys Margarita Pérez.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.



Balboa Press
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Bloomington, IN 47403
www.balboapress.com
844-682-1282

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

ISBN: 979-8-7652-3534-8 (sc)
ISBN: 979-8-7652-3535-5 (e)



Balboa Press rev. date: 11/21/2022



Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1 Self-Care
Taking Care of Yourself
Survival Tips
Sleep Tips
Relaxation Ideas
Chapter 2 Handling Pain and Sadness
Staying Connected
Pain as a Perception
Releasing Pain
Chapter 3 Recognizing Feelings
Releasing Anger
Tips for Feeling Better
Releasing Guilt
Chapter 4 Forgiving Yourself and Others
Forgiving Others
Forgiving Yourself
Chapter 5 Gratitude and Self-Reflection
Practicing Gratitude
Chapter 6 Creating Joy
Joy and Happiness
Looking Forward
Afterword
Sources and Resources
About the Authors and Illustrator



Foreword
The whole world changed at the start of 2020, and many of us are still facing uncertainty about when, or if, life will ever reach a sense of normalcy. Each of us has faced different challenges, but one thing that connects us is the grief and loss that we have collectively experienced. Embracing Life: A Pandemic Loss Journal provides an avenue for safely exploring and processing the countless losses endured throughout this pandemic. The authors provide a structure that delicately guides you through strategies for taking care of yourself, understanding your feelings, offering yourself compassion, and creating a joyful future where you are able to recognize the blessings in your experience.
My work as a clinical psychologist gives me insight into the deepest struggles our world has faced during this pandemic. My clients have lost homes, jobs, connection with colleagues, connections with teachers and fellow students, and an overall sense of security. They have lost children, parents, grandparents, and friends. Each day feels scary and uncertain. After I read this book, I felt a sense of hope and imagined myself using this book to help countless others. I also began using this journal to help myself. Personally, I have endured many losses and struggled to cope with grief. Reading and working through this book helped me slowly learn ways to make time for my grief and create meaning from it.
Coralee Quintana and Gladys Margarita Pérez created this journal to offer support during these difficult times in which we are living. Both authors have a lifelong commitment to helping others by reflecting on their personal journeys and using what they have learned to offer support to others. I am confident that the advice and guidance that Coralee and Gladys provide in this book will help you too.
In each chapter, you will learn different ways of thinking about your grief and reacting to it. The first chapter creates a foundation from which you build to heal. You will learn ways to care for yourself. When we have lost something or someone, there are so many emotions that surface. If we don’t take care of ourselves as we go through these emotions, our healing can become stunted. Self-care allows us to have compassion for ourselves, which in turn fosters a sense of hope and understanding. What I really love about the activities and recommendations in chapter 1, and throughout the entirety of this book, is that they are easy and effective ways of engaging in self-care.
In chapter 2, you will begin working through the pain and sadness associated with your losses. This is challenging work, and it is also very healing. Coralee and Gladys do a wonderful job of helping you understand your sadness and create space for it. They also help you understand the ways in which your sadness and grief affect you physically. The mind-body connection is something I talk to all of my clients about. Our emotions can impact our physical health, and our physical health can impact our emotions.
Fear is an emotion we have all felt during this pandemic. Chapter 3 helps you face those fears head-on by exploring the things that cause you fear. There are so many factors that are causing fear throughout the world right now. You are not alone.
Forgiveness and gratitude are two actions we can take to move forward after a loss. In chapters 4 and 5, Coralee and Gladys help you to let go of resentments, anger, guilt, and blame so you can open yourself up to the blessings in life. Noticing the things you are thankful for and appreciate in your life is a helpful way of cultivating joy and contentment, which is the focus of the final chapter. Many of the activities and questions of these last three chapters are interventions I regularly use in my clinical practice. I also practice these things in my daily life. It is so easy to focus on the things in life that we wish were different, but despite the challenges, I have yet to meet someone who is not able to list at least a handful of blessings they have.
As you move through this book, writing, reflecting, crying, and letting go, I am hopeful that you will gain a sense of peace. I wish you the best as you embark on this process of grief, and I offer a huge thanks to Coralee and Gladys for this wonderful tool for healing.
Elisa C. DeVargas, PhD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
University of New Mexico
Programs for Children and Adolescents



Preface
Dear Friend,
This pandemic may have been the scariest time since 9/11 in the US. Like then, there have been so many unknowns, and the future still feels uncertain. Losses come in many different forms: the loss of your health or becoming housebound; the loss of a close relative, child, parent, friend, partner or spouse; the loss of a valued career, business, job or home. In any case, you are worth the time it takes to work through and heal from major change in your life.
This has been a unique time in world history. It has been a time filled with virus fears and deaths, suicides, social distancing, working remotely, unemployment, race and political issues, in addition to the stress of everyday life. But more than anything, we want you to know that you are not alone .
If you are buying this workbook for a friend or loved one who has experienced a death, saying kind things about the departed will be appreciated. Some typical comments, like “they’re in a better place,” might not sit well in moments of deep pain, especially if the person has a different belief system. Speaking kind things about the departed and offering unconditional support will be comforting at this time.
Please know that there is no size when it comes to loss. Losses of health, freedom, safety, mobility, career, business, home, income, status, reputation, friendships, family or valuable possessions are all very real. We are here to help you get through this.
Because grieving can be a very private and painful time, Licensed Life Coach Gladys Pérez and I have felt the need to share the things that have helped us and our families at difficult times. This pandemic has separated so many people and, sadly, created many new schisms and differences of opinion. Fear, anxiety, depression, and abuse have increased significantly, so we ask the questions that allow you and yours to bring the feelings to light and begin to move through the healing process. We trust this workbook will be helpful.
With love,
Coralee Quintana



Dear Reader,
It is painful and hard to lose someone or something you love. My heart is with you, and I care about you. This is why Coralee and I created this workbook, to help you to heal and grow through this difficulty.
My interest in the process of grieving started when I was a studying for my master’s degree in family studies at the University of New Mexico. In my Individual and Family Grief class, I was reminded of how my family and I dealt with the passing of my father and nephew. I noticed tha