Tag: grief

podcast

Ep. 7: Cry it Out

Impower You

Do you feel like crying makes you weak? Do you stop yourself from crying or berate yourself when you do?

I used to view crying as a bad habit. It was only acceptable for children to cry, but not adults. This podcast is about letting go of reasons why to not cry, inviting in and releasing our pain and frustrations so that we can move forward with compassion.

Listen to episode 7 on Breaker.audio.

I hope you find this podcast helpful on your own healing path. THANK YOU PATRONS for supporting my healing projects!!! If you aren’t a patron you can signup at Patreon.com/Loviedo and get rewards like e-books, accountability emails, journal questions, and art.

Peace and hugs, Leah

grief and gardening
Book Reviews

Jody’s Garden: A Book on Grief and Gardening

Impower You

Jody’s Garden is a book about using the power of nature to heal your grief. A portion of each book sale will be donated to cancer research.

grief and gardening

Book Summary:

“Grief is a changing of seasons in our own garden.”

Gardens are a space for healing. With the cycle of life and death so close at hand, we have an opportunity to learn many lessons. In the garden, we can see the interconnectedness of our own life. We learn how the soil, once seen as nothing but dirt, reveals that it is teeming with life. Plants remind us the importance of self-care as we must give them just enough, but not too much, water and be on the lookout for toxins and insects that might cause harm. The beauty of flowers that only bloom once or twice a year teach us patience. When plants die we can better understand that nothing is permanent and remember to live in the present.

In this book you will find meditations, journal prompts, poetry and coloring pages. I hope you will also find a sense of peace and balance in your grief.

The book is available as a paperback and e-book on the following websites:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075FLW47B  -Get the e-book FREE until September 27th!

Paperback available on Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jodys-garden-leah-oviedo/1127010867

E-book available on PayHip: https://payhip.com/b/dpzc

(Not on Amazon, but you recently lost a loved one? Contact me for a free PDF of this book.)

Giving Back!

This book was inspired by my mother’s battle with cancer. She fought long and hard to heal herself, but ultimately was unable to heal completely. In honor of her, I will donate one dollar ($1) from each book sale to the following cancer research organizations:

Breast Cancer Research Foundation: https://www.bcrf.org/

Prevent Cancer Foundation: http://preventcancer.org/

Resources

Find a grief support group in your area: https://grief.com/grief-support-group-directory/

Learn more about how we can eradicate cancer-causing toxins and pollution with these resources:

http://www.safecosmetics.org/

https://earthjustice.org/healthy-communities/toxic-chemicals

http://saferchemicals.org/

Peace and hugs, Leah 🙂

Empowering Discussions, Grief

Grief is a Life Transformation

Impower You

“Grief is a life transformation.”

Grief is a powerful transformation. Losing our loved ones to death changes our life.

  That person is no longer there, our plans together, our interactions and the future we saw with each other are gone.
  All the times I’ve experienced grief have been different. Some times have been similar, but my life has changed in varying degrees. Friends and family that were such a presence in my life have left me with voids. Make no mistake, for the most part, these are sad, lonely voids. However, they’ve also given me inspiration to live more profoundly, in a way that resonates with me, not with expectations I had or that society portrays. Each day I am present to this inspiration is a day where I feel myself growing into the most perfectly imperfectly person.
  My life has been transformed by grief so often. So, while I’m not completely comfortable with death, I am less afraid. I’ve become less worried about dying. With this new strength, I can honestly tell my abuela that when she’s ready to go I will be ready to let her go. Grief is still painful, but in a way I know what to expect. And yes this makes it a little easier, not easy, but easier.
  Today would be my mothers birthday. We would celebrate with something fun like dancing or cake at the beach for sunset. Yet while I do feel sadness, my overwhelming emotion is appreciation for the beautiful friends and family I’ve seen and talked to today.
 For a while now I have been working on a book about grief. This experience has opened my heart to just how much my life has transformed from grief.  Grief is a powerful gift, but truthfully I’d return it for my deceased family and friends to be alive and dancing with me again.
Any thoughts on grief? Has your life been transformed? Are you caring for someone who is terminal? Or are you more comfortable to ignore the idea of grief all together? 
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“D.I.Y. Therapy: Healing Depression is available trough Amazon as both an e-book and a paperback.  This is not my first book, but it is my most personal. I share my struggles and pain honestly. Openly and honestly sharing healing is my gift to the world. With 1 in 4 people in the USA suffering from mental illness I hope my story will help others to start their own journey to better health.  Unlike a broken bone which heals in a matter of weeks or months, healing mental illness takes much more time and a whole lot of self-love.

If you’re suffering from depression I strongly encourage you to seek help. If you can’t afford a therapist find a supportive mentor, teacher or healer who can help you discover inner peace. Healing is possible IF you are open and willing to commit to a self-care plan. You’re life only  has value if you decide it does.

And it’s okay to stumble and fall along the way. Healing takes time so BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF!

Peace and Hugs, Leah

Want more? Print and enjoy my FREE COLORING BOOKS!

Empowering Discussions

Taking Notes on Death

Impower You

Healing and grieving seem to be an ongoing process on our life journey.

I welcome both with an open heart.

This week I’m taking notes.

IMG_20170427_102941_843

Have you ever tried meditation by coloring?

Print out my FREE COLORING BOOKS with positive affirmations.

Coloring while focusing on a positive affirmation allows you to take a break and sit still without distractions. It’s a very easy form of meditation.

 

 

Empowering Discussions

A Mid September Mish Mash and Roundup of Interesting Articles and Blogs

Impower You

There’s not enough time to post all the important and interesting news I want to share on this blog so here is a round-up of some great stuff. Leave a comment and link of a great blog or news article that you enjoy. 

Ha! Growing up with a unique family across several different states, I’ve seen all this in different forms. There’s seemingly no escape from the straight up ignorant comments to the really mean prejudices, but I think it’s getting better because of talking about it. Justsimplyinlove.wordpress.com/2014/09/16/being-a-jasmine-is-a-struggle

Am I the only one here who walks down the street with various hero fantasies playing in my head? Probably not, so here is a link to a funny video about what we can do in real life to create a better world. Spiritbath.com/2014/09/16/save-world-fantasy-have-hysterical-wrong/

Looking for a beacon of light in the world. A baby turtle named Ishi has survived the odds and brought us some hope. Check it out: Walkingwiththealligators.wordpress.com/2014/09/18/finally-we-have-a-baby/

Grief is a nasty place to be. It’s hard to go through your days when you miss someone so bad that the emotional pain is often accompanied by physical sadness. Still it’s a good idea to keep ourselves from going too far into darkness. Can you find 3 positive things about grief or other painful moments? Selflovewarrior.com/2014/09/18/death-grief-gratitude-and-positivity/

Are you ready to rebuild? “Sing over the bones of your lives. Sing loud and long over those places that speak to your survival and your authentic core. Flesh them out into the beautiful creature ou are.”  Kimberlyharding.wordpress.com/2014/09/19/rebuilding/

This is almost a month old, but a great article about peaceful activism. In August, hundreds of people marched in Ferguson, MO protesting police violence and in memory of the killing of young Mike Brown. Stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/hundreds-of-protesters-march-to-ferguson-police-department/article_6aa58550-4c8a-5df5-8fa3-e00b45a4b1fc.html

Sport commentator and former NFL player Cris Carter, speaks out about child abuse and refuses to “discipline” his kids with violence.. “You can’t beat a kid to make him do what you want.” Upworthy.com/the-nfl-may-get-a-lot-of-things-wrong-but-a-former-player-is-right-in-his-epic-rant-on-parenting?c=hpstream

A profile of Native American women who are actively destroying stereotypes, breaking the rules, and making a splash. But why is this article in the UK version of Marie Claire? I’d like to see them on the cover of TIME as well. Marieclaire.co.uk/blogs/547176/meet-the-generation-of-incredible-native-american-women-fighting-to-preserve-their-culture.html?utm_campaign=nativeamericanwomen&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social 

But wait there’s more…. what’s a post without some art! Creativity abounds with photos from 10 amazing FEMALE street/graffiti artists. Huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/04/female-street-artists_n_5759430.html?utm_hp_ref=arts&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000027

Let’s get this fiesta started! Share a favorite blog post or article in the comment section below.

If you like this blog, share this post and check out my books and art at Leahis.com or Amazon.com. Thank you.

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Grief

What to say?

Impower You

My brother sent me this poem today. I am not sure where it is from, but it really hits the target when you have a great loss.

Don’t tell me that you understand
Don’t tell me that you know
Don’t tell me that I will survive
How I will surely grow
Don’t come at me with answers
That can only come from me
Don’t tell me how my grief will pass
That I will soon be free
Accept me in my ups and downs
I need someone to share
Just hold my hand and let me cry
And say ‘My friend, I care.”

Empowering Discussions

Ouch.

Impower You

I just lost one of my best friends.  We had known each other for 10 years, and been through so much together.  I still cant believe she’s gone. It’s been hard to get much work done, even harder to care about working at all.  I really want to rewind time even if I could just hug her one last time.

She was a wonderful friend. She was amazing, the kind of person who got along with everybody.  She always had a smile to share and encouraging words to dish out.  The world has lost so much with her death.   Words cannot describe how I feel right now.  Grief is one, numb is another. I feel antsy and sad. I miss her so much. I just want her back. I want to tell her again how much she means to me.

She was younger than me and left behind 2 beautiful little kids.  She was a parent to her siblings when hers were no longer around.  This woman could take on the world and get right back up.  She was a talented athlete, smart, funny, goofy, compassionate, a voice of reason.  She was strong.   I love you Superstar.  I will see you again. It won’t be soon, but it won’t be that long either. I will rejoice when we are back together again.  I will not give up. I will be strong and I will make my life worth living,  just like you did.  Thank you for being there for me when I needed you. I hope that you felt loved by me and know that I would do anything for you.

I promise to keep an eye on your little sister and brother and your kids. They will be okay too. I am very sorry that I did not call more often. I am sorry that I didn’t get up to your new place to visit you. If you ever felt like you weren’t that important to me, you were wrong. You mean the world to me. I love you.