I have been reading Brene Brown’s new book Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience. Brene Brown has a way of speaking to my soul. She is not afraid to be vulnerable, sensitive, or real. Brene Brown’s most recent book is no exception, it speaks directly to my heart, well no, it speaks directly to my grief gut and the sometimes overwhelming tension in my chest I forget to identify. I am adding this book to my grief resilience toolkit because it will help me make sense of what I am feeling in a way that I may not have done before- slow and steady with the intention to digest, enhance emotional literacy and fitness-and above all else notice how each emotion shows up in my life when it does!

It is also important to note that the book itself is beautiful and looks great on my coffee table- which is a good thing- because I intend for it to permanently reside there. Whether it was intentional or not, as a child I remember spending countless hours revisiting the books my mother had around the house. Digesting them in a relaxed way as they were just part of my daily experience and were there to touch, glance at, or even use as a shield if a sibling hurled anything in my direction.

I suggest those who invest in Brown’s latest work get intentional about having it accessible and use it daily. With my work in mental health and emotional fitness, I have longed for a human guide for our emotions and experiences. Brene Brown has provided that for me. Brene, once again, thank you.

Here are some thoughts on why you should invest in a copy for yourself and consider adding it your Grief Club resilience toolkits:

– Put Brene Brown’s “Atlas of the Heart” somewhere that you will see it every day

-Without it being a chore, commit to curiosity around exploring one emotion a day for the next 200 plus days.

-As you read each passage try to really digest the experience of the emotion as a whole, try to pause and discern before personalizing it

-Get curious about how the emotion or experience of the day fits into your life – how having the ability to name it, communicate it around it or even strategize so you can honor it within your grief process

In 2022 two books will find a permanent home in places where I will be sure to interact with them. First Year of Grief Club: A Gift From A Friend Who Gets It and the second – the beautiful red book that Brene has so masterfully crafted. It is a great addition to my grief resilience toolkit because it will help me make sense of what I am feeling in a way that I may not have done before.

“Choosing to be curious is choosing to be vulnerable because it requires us to surrender to uncertainty. We have to ask questions, admit to not knowing, risk being told that we shouldn’t be asking, and, sometimes, make discoveries that lead to discomfort.” – Brene Brown

I invite you to join. But as always, you choose.

Other books by Brene Brown include:

-The Gifts of Imperfection

-Daring Greatly

-Braving the Wilderness.

-Dare to Lead

Although Brene Brown does not write specifically about Grief, I have found on the journey of honoring the deaths of my brother, father and friend that all of her books have been true gifts and created awareness that lead to real badass tools I could add to my own personal Grief Club tool kit.