#137: I’m Grieving. How Can I Keep My Business Running?

Trigger warnings: pet death, pet euthanasia, pet illness, grief over the death of a loved one.

 

On April 25 my cat Bella died. We had to make the agonizing choice to humanely euthanize her. And I was heartbroken and full of guilt. But I still had a freelance business to run. So, how did I do that when I could not think or concentrate clearly?

 

In this episode, I share what led up to Bella’s death and how I coped in the immediate days after when I had several client commitments and deadlines. I also asked for advice on the Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group and share some of that advice.

 

The six tips I learned and that we should all keep in mind when grief strikes:

 

1. Take time off. Ask for deadline extensions.

 

2. Recognize that you are going to work slower.

 

3. Get outside.

 

4. Do visualizations or meditations.

 

5. Reach out to people.

 

6. Honor your pet or the person who died.

 

Biz Bite: Make a to-do list of things that don’t earn your business any money.

 

The Bookshelf: “Bewilderment” by Richard Powers

 

Resources:

 

Article “The Fog of Grief” by April Reese

 

Conversation about grief on the Deliberate Freelance Facebook page

 

Join the Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group.

 

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee.