WARNING- WANDAVISION SPOILERS AHEAD- IF YOU HAVEN’T FINISHED THE SERIES DON’T READ THIS YET. WATCH IT AND THEN COME BACK! I’LL WAIT….
Okay, now that we are all caught up let’s talk about the amazing series that is WandaVision! I still can’t get over the quality and the story of this show. It’s interesting to watch this Marvel show compared to one of Marvel’s first shows, Agents of Shield. I liked that show, but WandaVision is on another level! One of my favorite parts of the show isn’t really revealed until close to the end, and it changes how you look at the whole show. It’s how they showcase dealing with grief.
I thought over the past year, all the changes, all the loss, and before 2020 I dealt with a personal loss, that of my Uncle. The last Uncle I had. I think back and it hasn’t just been the past year that’s been hard, it’s been almost three years of grief, unknowns, and overall sadness. I don’t blame Wanda for creating her own little world, an alternate reality based on her coping mechanism from her childhood, Television shows. Classic television shows to be specific. I don’t blame her for how she handled her grief because we all handle it differently.
I love, in the second to last episode how Vision, while they were still living on the Avenger’s Campus, attempts to console Wanda and says, “What is grief if not love persevering?”
I MEAN COME ON! HOW AMAZING IS THIS SHOW?!
A television show that is based on comic books hit hard, hit emotions that we’ve all been experiencing or have experienced in our lives.
In all this, creating an alternate reality, having it tainted by Agatha, and then attacked by outside sources, Wanda discovers something important. She discovers who she is meant to be. Who she was all along.
THE SCARLETT WITCH.
She’s finally able to embrace her destiny. She’s had moments of happiness with her alternate reality family, she’s been able to really say goodbye to Vision, she’s able to let go and begin moving forward.
We all have our coping mechanisms. For me it’s to read about Disney, watch Disney World Youtube videos, basically anything that makes me feel closer to my happy place. I have also found drawing and running things that help me handle the nasty stuff of life.
The important thing is that we use harmless coping mechanisms (harmless for ourselves and others), and that we eventually let go and move forward, like Wanda. She was able to let go, find herself, and find a sort of peace.
You can find peace, even in sadness, even when the grief is still fresh.
To wrap this up I want to share the beneficial ways I’ve found to cope with grief:
1. Journal- I don’t do this as much as I should, but every time I do it helps me gather my thoughts, it helps me find a focal point, helps release what I’ve been holding inside. Guided journals are great for when you don’t know where to start. And I love adding elements of Scripture into my journal time.
2. Treat Yourself- this can be through shopping or simply treating yourself to a little “me time” with a book or movie. Just give yourself time to breathe.
3. Go outside- fresh air helps me think, it calms me, it invigorates me! Whether that’s through exercising or driving with the window down and music playing in the background. Let the wind blow your cares away.
4. Surround yourself with friends. Find people who you know will build you up, who will take your mind off what’s going on and make you smile. If you can’t be with them in person Zoom or call them- it helps to not be alone!
5. Work on your hobby. What is something that you love doing? I like working on puzzles, drawing, reading, and finding new creative outlets. Maybe you like paint or fish, or maybe you like to knit! Allow yourself time to do these things. Something to Make yourself smile.