by Samantha Morris

You may have been through a really tough time, and mourning a loss of something, someone or a part of yourself or your life can be extremely painful.

Words may not even be able to convey the emotions that you experience and it may seem as though you’re on an emotional daily rollercoaster, which feels never-ending.

Of course everyone mourns and grieves a part of their life or identity for many reasons. Perhaps you’re mourning the loss of someone dear and you’re wondering what your purpose is in life or who you now are without that person? Or perhaps, you’re grieving a lost or unknown part of your own identity. This may take on many different forms; a lost childhood and the freedom to play or be creative with your life. It may mean mourning the loss of a body part and exploring who you now are after an injury, sex/gender change, operation or cancer treatment. Or it may even be that you’re mourning a relationship, a career, cutting the parental/child apron strings, or the safety of what you once thought or knew to be true feels as though it’s been taken from you.

Throughout life, we all go through many changes and with each transition comes the deep pain of mourning and the questioning of the unknown; who are you now are and what your purpose is. However, with mourning and the unknown also emerges the possibility of overcoming challenges, of celebrating the joys and with the potential to experience life’s natural growth, change and replenishment.

With the freedom to express yourself in creative and liberating space mourning can be both experienced as a place to express your vulnerability and grievances, as well as a place where out of the unknown, new possibilities emerge as you creatively release and work through the pain. It is also an opportunity to explore your past and current feelings as well as how you experience the unknown, change and transition as you begin to cross the bridge between that which you knew, that which you know and the future.