The Body’s Grief

Most of us are familiar with the grief of losing someone we love but what about losing a sense of safety? Losing the version of your community or your future that once gave you hope shows up in the bodies the same way bereavement grief does. This kind of grief is sneaky. It doesn’t always look like crying. Sometimes it looks like exhaustion, irritability, anxiety, or even a short fuse with the people you love most.

When we live with this much stress for this long, cortisol starts running the show. It impacts sleep, appetite, digestion, blood pressure, focus, and hormone balance. The good news is that our bodies are incredibly forgiving when we start giving them what they need.

Nourish Your Nervous System

This is where we can take our power back. When your body feels safe, your mind can follow.

Start simple.

Herbs that help your system chill out:

• Lemon balm and tulsi (holy basil) help calm stress hormones and lift your mood.
• Linden and chamomile support relaxation and better sleep.
• Oat straw and Passion Flower strengthen frazzled nerves and help you stay grounded when emotions run high.

Minerals your body loves:

• Magnesium is a big one for stress recovery. You can find it in cacao, pumpkin seeds, leafy greens, and sea salt.
• Trace minerals, calcium, and potassium help regulate tension and heart rate too.
• If supplements are your thing, magnesium glycinate is a gentle, easy-to-absorb option.

Supportive Practices

You don’t have to overhaul your life to start feeling better. Sometimes you can add one small practice and that will make a big difference.

Try this:

• A few minutes of slow, mindful breathing before bed. Inhale for four, hold for two, exhale for six.
• Warm showers or baths with epsom salts or magnesium flakes to help your muscles release tension.
• A neck or scalp massager to relax the nervous system and support better circulation.
• A weighted eye mask or lavender eye pillow to help your brain downshift at night.
• Journaling before bed. you only need a few sentences to get what’s in your head onto paper.
• Let your body know it’s safe to rest, even in an unsafe world.

Rest as Rebellion

Rest is strategy not laziness. When we rest and give ourselves permission to slow down, we’re actively rejecting a system that profits from our exhaustion. Books like Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey, Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown, and All About Love by Bell Hooks are all beautiful reminders that slowing down is also community care.

A Reminder

We can’t control the headlines, but we can control how we show up for ourselves and each other. Healing may seem like an individual act but it’s actually a collective ripple.

• So take your herbs. 
• Drink your tea. 
• Stretch. 
• Cry if you need to. 
• Laugh when you can. 
• Take the nap, read the book, light the candle. 

A Gentle Invitation

If your spirit has been craving rest, ritual, and real connection with women who get it, we’d love to welcome you into our next circle. Join us for a Vibe Check, a free info session where we share what Agbara’s 2026 retreats are all about and the kind of healing work we’ll be doing together.

✨ Join the Vibe Check →

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