Punch a Pillow

How does emotional pain process in the body?

When I got the news that my dad died at 19, I was in a state of shock. I remember hearing the words, life slowing down and then everything going dark. I think I passed out on my sister. When I came to, I was numb. It was a Sunday and I went to school the next day. When I told my teachers what was going on, they were surprised I was even there and gave their condolences. My English professor told me to punch a pillow.

Punch a pillow? I was hurt that he would even suggest a thing. What would that accomplish? I came home from school that day and retreated to my bedroom. I was staring down one of the pillows on my bed for an uncomfortable amount of time before I landed my first hit. I felt stupid at first but kept going. By the end of my boxing session, I was sobbing and exhausted. It was the first time I cried since hearing about my dad.

Sometimes our emotional pain gets stuck in our body and we need movement to help it along. Punching a pillow was the method that served me in a way I couldn’t have imagined. It got my grief journey started.