Grief Alarm Clock
Even when I don’t set my alarm, my body somehow knows that the correct time is nearing, even though I wake up at a different time on the weekend. It’s not fine-tuned enough to not set an alarm clock and trust my brain, but more often than not, I partially wake up a few minutes before my alarm goes off. (Except for the times when my brain allows me to be startled awake by happily clapping people.)
So the term “grief alarm clock” feels right.
Somehow our body knows and alerts us to grief, even when we’re not totally conscious that an anniversary is approaching. That feeling of disquiet that comes when you sense a date on the horizon.
Passing along this article in case it’s helpful to anyone else.
5 comments
Oh yeah. I experience this ALL the time. My body starts to act crazy and shut down and I get extra emotional and irritable. The body definitely knows. I’m so Sorry if you’re experiencing this right now. (((Hugs)))
Very true. Thank you for sharing.
Yes, I have experienced this around dates associated with my father’s passing. And sadly, for the first few years of my sons’ lives, I also experienced something similar in the lead-up to their birthday. (I had pregnancy and delivery complications that could have literally killed me, and while they aren’t/weren’t something I thought of regularly, I definitely had a visceral reaction each year around that time for the first three years post-delivery at least.)
I remember the first time I saw one of your posts about this topic and it made so much sense to me. My body remembers the losses, even if my mind is elsewhere. The alarm clock analogy is perfect for this, especially given that my mind would like to focus on less painful (and seemingly more urgent) things.
Thinking of you.
This is spot on.