Meditation can help in processing your grief. Find guided meditation for grief and sadness here.
Introduction
Grief is a universal experience. Everyone will experience it at some point in their lives. That’s why it is necessary to know how to deal with it. In this article, you will learn how to deal with your grief and how meditation can help process your grief. There is also a guided meditation script for grief and anxiety.
Dealing with Grief
We will not be able to cope with life if we don’t learn how to deal with grief. One day, our kids will leave home to go to college. Our friends will leave us and move to another city for better opportunities. Our pets and loved ones will die. Whatever kind of grief you experience, it’s necessary to remember that we all share a common humanity – and grief is a universal experience. We can’t always predict its intensity and the feelings that may arise.
Each one of us will deal with grief differently. For some people, grief passes quickly, while for others, it takes longer. The truth is that grief never really goes away. When we lose a loved one we care about, we can never return the person. So instead, we have to move forward until that reality becomes a normal part of our lives.
Now, you may think that’s not possible. But it is. It’s possible to adapt our lives without the physical presence of our loved ones. Eventually, we will live our lives with both joy and grief. Sometimes our grief will be more intense than our joy, and sometimes it is the other way around.
So, how do you deal with grief when you feel different emotions simultaneously?
As a yoga and meditation teacher, it is natural to suggest mindfulness meditation for grief and loss. It is not a be-all and end-all solution. But to deal with overwhelming emotions starts with observing and labeling them, which is what mindfulness meditation is all about.
Mindfulness in Grief and Loss
Mindfulness is about seeing things as they are without judgment and attachment. It is normal to remember the past when you’re grieving. Because you want to re-live the moments the good times you spent with your loved one when they were around. It is also normal to worry about your future without that person. It is also normal to avoid the present moment because your loved one is no longer there. But there is nothing we can do to change the past or affect the future.
The only thing we can do is stay with this new reality in the present moment, even if it is painful. We can make it less overwhelming by acknowledging our emotions – not denying them.
Psychologist Dr. Dan Siegel coined the term ‘Name it to tame it,’ which means labeling your emotions to regulate them. According to a study, simply naming your feelings decreases activity in the brain’s emotional centers, such as the amygdala.
These are the moments that call for mindfulness. With mindfulness, you give yourself space as your emotions arise. Then you label each feeling and thought and let them pass by without judging yourself.
Guided Meditation for Grief as a Grief Remedy
Mindfulness meditation can help people manage their emotions. Research shows that meditation can help control your emotional response to negative stimuli. Long-term meditation also can reduce the reaction intensity of the autonomic nervous system. The more you practice meditation, the better you can regulate your flight and fight response, including rapid heartbeat, headaches, clouded thoughts, and anxiety. Because of the potential of meditation to manage emotions, it can help people who feel empty and lost.
What’s even better is that meditation can help relieve the emotional and physical and mental stress from grief.
Grief can cause people to lose sleep. If you are one of those people, meditation can help improve your sleep quality.
Meditation is also known to relieve muscle tension and headaches, which are common symptoms of grief.
Furthermore, meditation can help people who feel guilty or bad for feeling grief. Research shows that mindfulness and meditation can improve self-compassion, which allows them to accept and move forward with their grief. Self-compassion also helps in improving their overall emotional being.
Finally, meditation can help people to avoid getting caught up with their thoughts about the past or the future. Focusing on the present moment will make them more aware of other things calling their attention. As a result, it will help them cultivate mental resilience.
Best Guided Scripts
Meditation can help regulate all kinds of emotions, including grief. If you need to meditate to process your grief, here are some things that you need to prepare:
You Will Not Feel Great Right Away
Grief is a process, and so is meditation. Practicing meditation will not magically make your grief disappear. The first thing you need to do is acknowledge your pain. Doing this may intensify your grief in the beginning. But eventually, the emotions will settle and you will learn to live with them and be able to think with greater clarity.
You Will Question Yourself if You’re Doing it Correctly
Mindfulness and other types of meditation are all about being. There will be no instructions that will make you feel better. Instead, you will have to sit in silence to process your thoughts and emotions. That is why many people question if they are doing it correctly. You are on the right track if you can at least stabilise your emotions. You know you are well on the way to healing when you notice that you can focus on the present moment longer than you used to.
You Don’t Need to Do it for Hours
Consistency is key when it comes to meditation. You don’t need to sit for hours on end to meditate. You only need a few minutes a day. It is the same with grief. You decide how long to meditate on a day-by-day or moment-to-moment basis. You can stop whenever you feel distracted, even for a few minutes.
Now that you know what to expect from meditation, here are some of the top guided meditations for grief.
Sample Guided Meditation for Coping with Grief
This guided meditation for grief is quite long, about 20 minutes. If you are new to meditation, it’s best not to practice it. Or perhaps practice it at night before bed. Many people follow this meditation guide to fall asleep, which is more difficult if you are grieving.
Guided Mindfulness Meditation for Grief and Sadness
This guided meditation for grief is only 10 minutes long. You can practice it any time of the day, whenever you feel intense sadness and anxiety over losing your loved one. This guided meditation will check your state of mind and emotions, so you to manage them better.
Guided Meditation for Heart Awakening
This guided meditation will go through all the other feelings of grief: loss, fear, rejection, and abandonment. It’s not specific for people who have lost their loved ones through death, but it will help you notice the other feelings of grieving.
Guided Meditation on Grief for the Loss of a Loved One
This guided meditation is 40 minutes long. So do it only if you have the time to spare. It’s best to practice this meditation before going to bed. It will help relax your body and help you fall asleep. But it’s also great for going through the various stages of emotions that come with grief.
Guided Meditation Script for Grief
This meditation script for grief will go through honoring the loved one you lost to remember the good memories before letting go of the grief. But first, you will need to have an object the loved one owns that you can let go of.
- Sit in the garden (or indoors, somewhere quiet and peaceful) with a memento from the person or your relationship with him/her. An ideal spot for this is a body of water.
- Close your eyes and focus on your breath for 15 breaths.
- Bring the person to mind (if it is a romantic relationship, bring to mind the two of you together).
- See the person (or the relationship) in a happy moment. Meditate on this happy moment for fifteen breaths.
- Imagine saying something you need to tell him/her. “I love you.” “Thank you.” “I am sorry for…” etc. Take 25 breaths to do this.
- Imagine hearing him/her say what you need to hear. “I forgive you.” “I am still with you,” etc. Take 25 breaths to do this.
- Feel him/her with you as you take another ten breaths.
- Tell him/her that it is time to move on but that you are moving on with love and gratitude.
- Let go of the personal object. If you are by water, release it into the water.
- Say, “I release you.”
- Express gratitude for this meditation.
The Bottomline
Grief is normal, but it is not always easy to navigate. It can be overwhelming and challenging to process because it is often mixed with other emotions. But through mindfulness and meditation, you will learn how to dissect it, come away with greater clarity of thought, and reduce the pain’s intensity.
Want to meditate to process your grief? Join us for our free 30-day Meditation Challenge.
