Galli Gripes: Staying Positive When Life Kicks Your Ass

It’s no secret that this summer has been a rough one for me. I lost my dad, Chris, at the beginning of the three-month trek of record-high temperatures and heartbreaking pain. Then, almost like a perfect bookend to this hellscape of a season, I lost the other most important man in my life, my beloved grandfather, on August 26. Pop Pop walked me down the aisle at my wedding, taught me to drive, saw me through the end of my marriage, and provided endless support. So, when I say this summer gave me a proper whooping, I am not kidding. Grief has not been an easy or graceful journey for me, and I have spent a lot of time thinking I would never come out of it.

How I Cope

Coping with grief does not have a one-size-fits-all solution. Treating stress and anxiety is a mixed bag, too. To deal with both, I’ve had to figure out how to make it through the gut punches this year has delivered. Here are the three strategies I’ve found most effective:

1. Self-Care and Time Alone — My family is exceptionally close. My dad used to say we invented holidays just so we could get together. A death in the family has been no exception, but when emotions are fragile, tensions run high. On several occasions, I had to excuse myself from the fracas of family togetherness to return to my sanctuary: my bedroom. There, I read…