Why Celebrating the Day of the Dead is Good for Your Health

Repressed grief can cause many physical problems. Particularly, lung issues. The lungs hold onto grief. I remember, after my mom passed away, I came down with an awful chest cold. After the cold was over I was left with this cough and wheezing that wouldn't leave. So much so, that I was taking multiple hits of my inhaler every day. Which was rare, because, I hadn't even used it in the 3 years prior. On a fluke, I decided to have someone come and do a house blessing for my new home. She picked up on some sadness and asked if she could address that. We sat together, her hand on my chest, and it all came spilling out. I sobbed! Sobbed like I hadn't done yet. When you are going through the motions of someone you love dying, you have to hold it together to get stuff done. Especially, when you have an infant and a toddler as well! There are not very many moments in your day to break down and let it out. After that day, I had no more chest issues. They just disappeared.

When someone you love dies, there are many reasons why you might not talk about them. An anniversary comes and it's sometimes much easier to go on a vacation, go shopping, or some other diversion, to take your mind off your pain and sadness. You may be nervous to bring up your loved one, on a holiday, because you don't want to make everyone else feel sad. BUT, doing just that and feeling your feelings are important. If you deny yourself the opportunity to honor your loved one, you will never fully heal yourself.

Disney's Coco introduced me to, the Mexican holiday, The Day of the Dead. I was so moved by it that I wanted to celebrate it as well. The multi-day holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey. I created an altar in my home with all the pictures of those loved ones that have passed on. We will talk about our moms, dads, and grandparents that have died. We will laugh and cry in remembering them. Their quirks, foods they liked, and their personalities. It's a joyous holiday of remembrance. I love passing this onto my kids.....that the spirits of those who have died, are never forgotten. To talk about them is honoring them. It's healthy to grieve and it's also healthy to celebrate their lives.

I'll leave you with one last thought.....Don't you find it ironic that, like clockwork, millions of monarch butterflies return to these remote forest sanctuaries in Mexico, during the Dia de los Muertos? Could it be the souls of loved ones returning? The culture believes that human souls do not die, but rather continue living in Mictlan, a place for spirits to rest until the day they could return to their homes to visit their relatives. Later, as Catholic traditions intermingled with indigenous cultures, the monarch butterflies came to be regarded as the souls of departed ancestors returning to Earth for their annual visit.

For more details on the day of the dead, see the link below: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead