Embracing Life: A Pandemic Loss Journal

By Coralee Quintana, Gladys Margarita Pérez and Guilloume

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, we have been living through many uncertainties, changes, and losses. We have revised our daily routines, relied more heavily on digital space, and many have lost jobs and loved ones. The number of suicides and divorces has soared, and we’ve had to be apart from some family and friends for longer than we imagined.

With these challenges in mind, Coralee Quintana and Gladys Margarita Pérez share a pandemic loss journal accompanied by lovely illustrations that provides a reflective platform for anyone who has suffered a loss during this time and wishes to work through their anguish and grief to find hope again. As journalers answer introspective questions within a safe space, they learn how to care for themselves, regain control over the many emotions that surround their loss, face fears, and release guilt, resentments, and anger, all while beginning to move toward the future they envision..

Embracing Life: A Pandemic Loss Journal shares writing prompts and helpful resources to lead those grieving loss on an insightful journey within to bring complex feelings to light and move toward healing.

“This invaluable workbook with beautiful illustrations underscores the central message to value oneself during this healing journey with the ultimate goal of regaining that joyful voice and inner spirit in overcoming the anxieties and releasing the personal pain and any self-doubt and guilt. This is a precious and essential gift for us all!”
—Frank S. Davila, PhD, educator and author

“This book really helped. I liked the privacy because I felt like I could express my feelings and vent knowing no one else was going to read it.”
—Marilyn Gallegos, Albuquerque, NM

“My clients have lost homes, jobs, connection with colleagues, connections with teachers and fellow students and an overall sense of security. They have lost children, parents, grandparents and friends. Each day feels scary and uncertain. After I read this book, I felt a sense of hope and imagined myself using this book to help countless others.”
—Elisa C. DeVargas, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist, University of New Mexico

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Nov 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9798765235355

Book preview

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1    Self-Care

Taking Care of Yourself

Survival Tips

Sleep Tips

Relaxation Ideas

Chapter 2    Handling Pain and Sadness

Staying Connected

Pain as a Perception

Releasing Pain

Chapter 3    Recognizing Feelings

Releasing Anger

Tips for Feeling Better

Releasing Guilt

Chapter 4    Forgiving Yourself and Others

Forgiving Others

Forgiving Yourself

Chapter 5    Gratitude and Self-Reflection

Practicing Gratitude

Chapter 6    Creating Joy

Joy and Happiness

Looking Forward

Afterword

Sources and Resources

About the Authors and Illustrator

Foreword

The whole world changed at the start of 2020, and many of us are still facing uncertainty about when, or if, life will ever reach a sense of normalcy. Each of us has faced different challenges, but one thing that connects us is the grief and loss that we have collectively experienced. Embracing Life: A Pandemic Loss Journal provides an avenue for safely exploring and processing the countless losses endured throughout this pandemic. The authors provide a structure that delicately guides you through strategies for taking care of yourself, understanding your feelings, offering yourself compassion, and creating a joyful future where you are able to recognize the blessings in your experience.

My work as a clinical psychologist gives me insight into the deepest struggles our world has faced during this pandemic. My clients have lost homes, jobs, connection with colleagues, connections with teachers and fellow students, and an overall sense of security. They have lost children, parents, grandparents, and friends. Each day feels scary and uncertain. After I read this book, I felt a sense of hope and imagined myself using this book to help countless others. I also began using this journal to help myself. Personally, I have endured many losses and struggled to cope with grief. Reading and working through this book helped me slowly learn ways to make time for my grief and create meaning from it.

Coralee Quintana and Gladys Margarita Pérez created this journal to offer support during these difficult times in which we are living. Both authors have a lifelong commitment to helping others by reflecting on their personal journeys and using what they have learned to offer support to others. I am confident that the advice and guidance that Coralee and Gladys provide in this book will help you too.

In each chapter, you will learn different ways of thinking about your grief and reacting to it. The first chapter creates a foundation from which you build to heal. You will learn ways to care for yourself. When we have lost something or someone, there are so many emotions that surface. If we don’t take care of ourselves as we go through these emotions, our healing can become stunted. Self-care allows us to have compassion for ourselves, which in turn fosters a sense of hope and understanding. What I really love about the activities and recommendations in chapter 1, and throughout the entirety of this book, is that they are easy and effective ways of engaging in self-care.

In chapter 2, you will begin working through the pain and sadness associated with your losses. This is challenging work, and it is also very healing. Coralee and Gladys do a wonderful job of helping you understand your sadness and create space for it. They also help you understand the ways in which your sadness and grief affect you physically. The mind-body connection is something I talk to all of my clients about. Our emotions can impact our physical health, and our physical health can impact our emotions.

Fear is an emotion we have all felt during this pandemic. Chapter 3 helps you face those fears head-on by exploring the things that cause you fear. There are so many factors that are causing fear throughout the world right now. You are not alone.

Forgiveness and gratitude are two actions we can take to move forward after a loss. In chapters 4 and 5, Coralee and Gladys