The first 6 months

What my grief and self-care navigation has looked like in 2025

What my grief and self care navigation has looked like in the 1st half of 2025:

1) Grief is the uninvited companion that doesn’t give you enough time to prepare when it needs your attention.

2) I have daily moments when I’m driving, and I suddenly drive past a restaurant or mall that my brothers and I used to hang out at, or when I’m on a road that brings up a random memory of my brother, or when I hear his favorite song when I’m at a coffee shop. Those can conjure up so many feelings that can be so hard to hold all at once. Stop & breathe.

3) Having good friends who still check on me from time to time makes me feel safe in sharing my grief with them. In doing so, I am slowly regaining my joy, and I can do so on my terms without feeling the pressure to show up when I’m not ready to.

4) Others see working as their way of coping with grief. I will gently counter that by saying it can also be challenging, and even detrimental to your well-being and focus. I realize that having to be highly productive was not working to my benefit, and it kept me away from doing my personal grief work. I had to re-shift that mindset, which involves expressing my needs and capacity.

5) Being by myself in solitude in places whether it’s at a park, at a concert, at an outdoor mall can be therapeutic because it give me a way to experience life that doesn’t allow me to be tied down to people’s schedule, and that you can do things on your own pace.

6) Therapy, writing, posting silly IG stories have helped remind me of the laughter and joy that I can create for myself and with others.

7) Bonding with people who are connected to my brother has allowed me to learn more about him, and through them, I have a part of him with me.

8) Holding space for others to share their grief with me has been cathartic, knowing that I’m less alone and leaning into my empathy, which has only deepened my relationship with folks.

9) Having set goals - I’m not a rigid, structured person, but having things on my calendar and taking on activities I haven’t done, I am building myself up.

Until then, continue to give yourself grace and know that while grief can be disruptive in our daily lives, you are holding something sacred and beautiful.

Here are a few grief-related social media handles that I have followed on IG:

https://www.instagram.com/optionb/

https://www.instagram.com/asianmentalhealthcollective/

https://www.instagram.com/drmekel/