#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:
- Take time off. Ask for deadline extensions.
- Recognize that you are going to work slower.
- Get outside.
- Do visualizations or meditations.
- Reach out to people.
- 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.