Tragedy in uvalde

The shooting in Uvalde has drawn communities around the world to grieve the lives of those lost.  Here are 4 things to remember:

Identify: Reading the news or seeing images on social media of the tragedy, can elicit various feelings and thoughts.  Be sure to name and identify the emotions you're experiencing.  Be cautious of a tendency to stuff emotions.  If you find yourself increasing distractions, it may be a red flag that you are experiencing deep emotions that first need to be identified.

Express: It's important to verbalize your feelings.  You may have heard it said that whatever does not come up and out through words, will come up and out through actions--and often unhealthy ones.  Find support through friends, family and your community to express and process what all you're feeling.  Annd if you are a parent and caring for your children, make sure you provide yourself space to process and grieve the events before you provide a space for your children.  Remember that your children need a healthy. model of how to express negative emotions in a healthy way.  It's okay to tell them where you are in your journey of grief.  You don't have to have it altogether.  In fact, your children often need to know that you don't have it altogether.

Set Limits: With continual updates, interviews and images of the lives lost, make sure to be aware of where you are in your journey of grief and sadness.  Be compassionate to yourself in knowing what you need.

Take Action: As you continue to grieve, how can you move towards a healthy expression of such emotions?  It may mean pressing into your faith, it may mean being more proactive/present in spending time with your children, it may mean engaging in your creative expressions of art and music.