Meditation and grief: a guide for grievers seeking peace of mind
The loss of a loved one is devastating and complex, bringing on a myriad of emotions that at times may feel easier to suppress than address. While every individual copes with grief differently, meditating at this sensitive time can help calm an anxious mind, confront emotions, and relieve physical tension. With time and practice, it can also help you build the resilience you need to honor your loved one and reengage with life after loss.
As a first step, you’ll want to choose between guided and unguided meditation. If you are new to meditation, consider trying guided meditation first. Guided meditation is led by an instructor, whose voice and instructions help you navigate the journey and relax your mind. We have included some resources below that provide guided meditations.
Unguided meditation is a solo journey (though it can be performed in a group, which often helps). You lead yourself through meditation in silence, or with white noise such as rain falling or the lapping of waves.
Once you have decided between guided or unguided meditation, you can identify the type of meditation practice that is best for you at that time. Below are some types of meditation practices to help you cope with grief.
Mindfulness Meditation is an exercise that will train your mind to settle and be present. Similar to physical exercise, the more frequently you commit to this mental practice, the better you will feel.
Compassion Meditation is about love and compassion. The silent repetition of positive and caring phrases can help you feel more connected to those in your life, as well as your own suffering. Often, the focus is on wishing to relieve suffering. While you cannot change what has happened, this practice helps you explore other ways to cope.
Contemplative Meditation allows you to answer questions on a specific idea, question, or situation to gain insight using your inner wisdom. This can help you manage difficult emotions related to a specific event.
Check out these free guided meditation resources and tools below:
Mindworks provides free online courses for guided meditation practice. They have introductory courses and nine progressive Journey levels, as well as an online community that offers support in furthering one’s meditation practice.
Jack Kornfield, a Buddhist monk who has taught meditation for almost 50 years, offers an audio guided meditation specifically focused on grieving, which you can access for free by clicking here.
Chopra, a self-care website, has designed a grief-specific meditation, which you can walk through by clicking here.
For a fee (and often a free trial), you can also enjoy these:
Headspace & Calm are mobile applications that provide guided meditation and other well-being resources. Both provide sleep meditation practice, music to help you focus and relax, body movement techniques, audio masterclass programs, and nature sounds with images. Headspace, in particular, offers meditations tailored to the grieving experience for a fee. Both offer a free trial.
10% Happier is a mobile application that provides guided meditation and practical teachings. They also have literature and podcasts for you to engage with.