Navigating Through Grief and Loss with Mindfulness

Grief and loss are such profound human emotions that imminently affect our lives. The pain of losing someone or something that you love is beyond measure. It is tough to navigate these emotions and oftentimes, individuals feel lost in this labyrinth and fail to move forward. With the help of mindfulness practice, you can learn to cope with grief and loss more compassionately. The pain doesn’t go away, but you will learn how to cope with it healthily.

With the help of mindfulness practices, you can work with an acknowledgment of the feelings and create space for healing. In this article, we guide you through different stages of grief and how mindfulness practices act as therapy and help you find peace. Keep reading to find out more.

What is Grief and Loss?

Grief is a natural response to a loss. Losing a loved one or a dear thing stirs up strong emotions and physical reactions. Just like every individual is unique, the way each of us processes grief is also unique. It is a deeply personal experience that affects different people in different ways.

Stages of Grief

Elizabeth Kubler Ross, a renowned psychologist, proposed five stages of grief. It’s important to understand that the emotional response to loss is not linear, and everybody feels it differently.

5 stages of grief include:

1. Denial

2. Anger

3. Bargaining

4. Depression

5. Acceptance

Denial is often manifested as a result of a temporary defense mechanism. The body trying to protect itself from the pain. Anger is usually directed at oneself or others over the loss. Bargaining includes all the negotiations and deals one makes in hopes of reversing the loss. Depression comes with extreme sadness and withdrawal from life. Acceptance is the final stage, where the mind finally understands the extent of the loss, and comes to terms with this new reality.

What are the Emotions that Grief Triggers?

1. Sadness

2. Guilt

3. Anxiety

4. Loneliness

5. Shock

6. Numbness

How can Mindfulness Help Deal with Grief?

Mindfulness techniques help cope with grief better. Meditation, yoga, and deep breathing can all help with healing and personal growth. These practices help deal with grief more effectively and help the affected individual get back to normal daily life. Accepting difficult feelings while being grounded in the present moment is the crux of mindfulness.

Principles of Mindfulness

-       Centers on the awareness of the present moment. The acceptance of thoughts and feelings without any judgment. Observing and feeling all the experiences without trying to avoid them is a major idea.

-       Mindfulness helps develop greater emotional regulation and stress reduction. The different techniques in mindfulness help with the overall calming down of the nervous system.

-       With the help of these techniques, self-compassion can be learned and space that is necessary for dealing with pain is created.

Techniques for Mindful Grieving

- Meditation: This practice encourages present-moment awareness. The focusing of breath and bodily sensations will help calm your mind. Try sitting in a quiet space and close your eyes. Breathe naturally. Observe the bodily feelings. The rising and falling of your chest and your breath. You can also use apps like Headspace or Calm which provides you with guided meditations. With regular practice, you can feel better emotional regulation and stress reduction.

- Journaling: This is considered a very effective method of dealing with grief. You can set aside some time from your daily routine for journaling. It could just be a free flow of ideas – like writing a letter for your loved one, talking about your emotions freely without any judgment. This practice can bring clarity and help find perspectives.

- Physical activity: As hard as it is to push yourself towards any physical activity while processing grief, we would suggest you do it. Just a mindful walk is good enough. Just focusing on every step, the smells, the people all of that can have a positive impact on your mental health.

Find Support During Grief

Finding support groups of people who experienced similar loss could help process grief better. These places could become a safe spot for you to share your feelings and experiences without any judgment and this can help find comfort in these hard times. Hearing other people’s stories will help you see different perspectives and help deal with grief better.

Embrace the Healing Process!

Through mindfulness, you can navigate your journey of healing from grief better. Avoiding intense emotions never helps, it is a task to face these feelings, but it is also important to face them. Focusing on the present moment, and acknowledging the grief will help you to cope better. With different practices mentioned in the guide, you can finally embrace the healing journey and allow for moments of peace amidst intense grief.