Nidhi-Amanda

Nidhi-Amanda Chaitow Life, Grief and Death Doula

Today is Day Six 

My intentional word for this week is: CREATIVITY

It’s been 2 weeks since my beloved left his body. I have stepped into a 30-day Mourning period – today is day six.

In Judaism the first 30 days after Shiva are called Shloshim. Shiva means seven and refers to a seven-day period of formalized mourning by immediate family. It usually begins after burial and is complete after the morning service (Shacharit) on the seventh day.

I am not traditional in any way, and neither was Wayne. He was raised Catholic. I am Jewish and feel deeply connected to my roots. I practice my Judaism in my own way and I am choosing to honour him, and myself and my grieving, by bringing the mourning tradition into my own grieving journey. As I write this I realize that this is a creative way of being with my grief.

The First 30 Days of Mourning in Judaism is called Shloshim (Hebrew for 30). Traditionally it is counted from the day of burial. I am going to count it from 8 September 2021, directly after the initial 7 days. I felt I needed to go into an intentional period of mourning him and taking deep care of myself.

So how do we bring CREATIVITY into life when we are in a place of sadness, experiencing loss, feeling overwhelmed or unable to cope? These are the challenging times where we need to connect deeper with our own wisdom and trust ourselves.

Edward de Bono says: “Creativity involves breaking out of expected patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” The expected patterns that we need to navigate in life, and in death, can put pressure and stress on us to do things that do not feel right for us. That pressure can cause us anxiety, stress and overwhelm.

Honouring our own creativity as a source of energy to do things our own way gives us the courage and the strength to show up authentically. When we are faced with a difficult choice and have to make a stand for Truth, it’s our creative energy and trust in our own knowing, that allows us to walk our own journey. It brings in the ethical value of ‘Do No Harm’ – to others for sure, but more importantly for ourselves.

For this week as you set your intention to allow your CREATIVITY to flow, give yourself permission to take care of yourself in your own way, and love yourself for putting yourself first and foremost in your life.

Take some time each day to breathe into your whole body, connect with your unique heartbeat, your inner rhythm, and listen to the whisperings of your Soul. Allow your creativity to BE !

Be always blessed

Nidhi-Amanda 

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