Meditation for Grief | How Meditation Helps You Cope with Loss
When we’re grieving, it’s easy to forget to step back and assess our situation. Meditating helps you observe and accept the process. Learn more about meditation for grief in our blog.
Grieving a loss can be emotionally taxing. No matter where you are with your journey, you’re likely experiencing difficulty. People process grief differently, with some going through health issues or lack of focus on their tasks. Others may experience physical pain and a lack of sleep. Whatever the case, studies show that grief meditation can help ease many symptoms people feel as they mourn.
The Difficulty of Overcoming Grief
Many can attest to how hard it can be to overcome grief. There is a mix of emotions, and a storm of great sadness caused by loss. This sadness can transform into depression, regret, anger, and other feelings. These can prevent us from functioning properly, and can drag on for extended periods.
Everyone processes grief differently, and there isn’t a set method to move on from grief. The things we care about are different, and the intensity of our attachment to them also varies. Ultimately, grief causes us to deviate from our usual behavior, often towards a negative outcome. One can experience its many forms, and it may happen because of:
– The loss of a loved one
– The loss of a precious item
– A catastrophe or natural disaster
– Divorce
– Illness
The loss of something meaningful creates a rift and tears open a hole inside us. Some people may require time to move on from grief, while others go day-by-day until the emotions ease.
Finding a Way to Move on from Grief
The start of recovery often comes with a revelation. We start thinking about more positive things and good memories. After losing a loved one, we realize that they would want us to live a life free from suffering. Eventually, grief turns into a celebration of the time we had, and the thing or person we cherished.
Some people find it hard to get to that point. They feel like there is a lack of resolution to their loss. They cannot forgive themselves or the one that caused them grief. There is a lack of understanding of the source of their emotions.
Resolving grief is about understanding our emotions and accepting that we need time to process them. We’ll have to examine why there are things that are preventing us from seeing the positives in our lives. Maybe it’s about learning to forgive ourselves and others. It’s also about making a conscious effort to move beyond the emotional storm and to see the light beyond it.
Meditation can be a way to bring those conversations to light. It is a conversation with yourself, your thoughts, and memories. It can be a method to loosen that grip and move past the thorns to find your answer.
Meditation for Grief
Meditation is often used as a way to relieve stress and anxiety, but it can also be helpful for people who are grieving. If you are grieving, meditation can be a powerful tool to help you heal. It can help you find peace and acceptance. It can also be a way for you to connect with the person you lost.
Meditation is a personal journey that can be approached in many different ways, but the goal should always be to create a sense of peace and calmness within oneself. It is an opportunity to learn how to be with your feelings, emotions, and memories in a way that brings you peace.
The benefits of meditation are not limited to overcoming grief. The practice can be used to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being. It also helps by improving concentration and focus and by reducing the risk of certain diseases like cancer.
The Benefits of Meditation
Meditation doesn’t change our feelings, but it can help recalibrate our perception of those feelings. Mindfulness towards your thoughts and emotions allows you to approach them with clarity.
Studies show that people who used meditation apps for eight weeks experienced fewer negative emotions. 31% experienced reduced anxiety, while 46% had reduced depression symptoms. Others also reported lowered stress levels, and they weren’t as irritable anymore.
Training your mind creates resilience even amid a loss.
Studies also show numerous other benefits that occur in the body because of meditation. These include:
– Lower cortisol levels that are responsible for general stress
– Better reaction times
– Lower blood pressure
– Higher attention levels
One thing people have to realize is that grief is an emotion that everyone experiences. We don’t have to approach it alone. Even today, people study grief and the ways to overcome it.
Try a Guided Meditation for Grief
One of the most common ways to meditate is through the body scan technique. This technique’s goal is to help us bring more awareness to the connection between our body and mind. It doesn’t have to make any significant changes afterward. It’s all about understanding yourself.
Here’s how you can do it:
1. Find a comfortable area or chair. You can also sit down on the floor.
2. Take two deep breaths. Breathe in through the nose and out the mouth. Afterward, gently close your eyes and let your body relax.
3. While your eyes are closed, sense how your body feels. Check if you feel restless or still. Examine if any parts of your body feel light or heavy.
4. You can begin this scan from the top of your head and move your way downward. Notice the different sensations as you are examining each part.
5. You do not have to change anything. You are simplyobserving and letting your thoughts pass by. Every time you feel like you are drifting, bring your attention back to your body.
6. After you’ve scanned the bottom of your feet, gently open your eyes again.
Sounds of Rain | Nature Meditation for Relaxation | Remove ALL Negative Energy | Be PRESENT
Final Thoughts on Meditation for Grief
When we’re grieving, it’s easy to forget to step back and assess our situation. By meditating, you begin observing and embracing the process. This stage of acceptance is a key part of moving forward from grief. Meditation will give your body time to relax, which will also allow it to work at a cellular level. Your body will begin to regulate its hormones and accelerate your process toward a better state of health.
Additional advances in technology have lead to an even further improved meditation process. Healium combines immersive VR meditations and neurofeedback to provide users with access to their brainwave data in realtime. The resulting agency over their brain patterns leads users to meditate for the changes they’d like to make in their lives.
To learn more about how Healium works, watch this video below!
About the Author
Sarah Hill, a former interactive TV news journalist at NBC, ABC, and CBS affiliates in Missouri, gained recognition for pioneering interactive news broadcasting using Google Hangouts. She is now the CEO of Healium, the world’s first biometrically powered VR channel, helping those with stress, anxiety, insomnia, and other struggles through biofeedback storytelling. With patents, clinical validation, and over seven million views, she has reshaped the landscape of immersive media.