Four Tips for Goal-Setting After a Loss
When grief enters the picture, everything changes—including our goals for ourselves
8 min readSep 7, 2021
Picture this: It’s your life before loss. Your one goal for the day is to get groceries at the grocery store. What does that look like? If you’re like most people, probably something like this:
- make a list
- put shoes on
- drive to the grocery store
- shop for groceries
- check out
- load the car
- drive home
- unload the car
In just nine steps, the task is complete. Aside from unexpected roadblocks like freeway construction or a spill in aisle 12, it’s a relatively easy goal to accomplish and—in your life before loss—likely not one you put a lot of thought into. Because you didn’t need to.
Fast forward to your life now that grief is a part of your day-to-day. Your one goal is to get groceries at the grocery store. What does that look like? If you’re like me and many of the grieving people I work with, probably something like this:
- Make a list. Grief brain gets in the way, so I have to double or even triple-check the fridge and the pantry. Every now and then I remember an…
