What is meditation?
Meditation is a common practice used to guide awareness and attention that can help achieve a sense of calm and clarity. It can bring you into the present moment, drawing your attention to where you are currently at. By getting you out of your own mind, meditation can relieve the pressure of your difficult thoughts. Meditation is different for everyone, so it might take a minute to figure out which practice is the right one for you. Try to be patient with yourself — you’re going through enough without adding frustration on top of that.
What types of meditation can help with grief?
There are several different types of meditation, but the most useful meditations to helping process grief are focus meditations, mantras, mindfulness, self-compassion, and contemplation. You can practice each type, or focus on one. The grief journey is different for everyone, so finding the right meditative practice will depend on how you process grief. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or somewhat scattered, a focus meditation or mantra repetition may help you clear your mind. This is especially useful if you’re having difficulty sleeping. A meditation of self-compassion is a balm for when you’re being hard on yourself due to stress or survivor’s guilt. Mindfulness can help you figure out your pattern of thoughts and actions, helping you to recognize negativity when it arises. A meditation of contemplation will give you access to the inner workings of your mind, providing insight to how you metabolize grief mentally.
How can it help?
Grief has a tendency to make our minds race, especially when we’re alone or in a quiet space. This can make sleeping difficult. Finding the right meditative practice can help you clear your mind before you go to sleep, especially if you are stuck in a negative thought cycle. Centering yourself with meditation can also relieve physical symptoms such as headaches and nausea by granting you access to deep breaths and calm nerves. Being mindful can also create a barrier between yourself and any stressful thoughts, allowing you to continue on through the grief. All of these things combined will boost your immune system so you can stay healthy during this stressful time. Meditation can also allow a sense of connection to the earth and your community, reminding you that you are not alone on this journey.
A gentle reminder
The grief process can be complicated and enduring. There is often no such thing as a “quick fix” for the pain you might feel when you lose someone that you love. Meditation can be a way to help alleviate the stress and emotional trauma you might feel, but it is not necessarily a “solution” to grief. Meditation does not try to change the reality of your situation or alter the outcome, however it can offer a path to mindfully walk your grief journey. Allow yourself to take the time you may need to process your loss. Meditating is a way to create space and compassion for yourself and your experiences, and provide you with peace and clarity during a perhaps chaotic or difficult time. Do what’s right for you. There’s no stopwatch for when grief will “end,” so give yourself the time you need.
At Hollywood Forever Cemetery and Funeral Home, we believe that the grieving process takes time and attention. Just as every life lived is unique and beautiful, so is every journey through grief when we lose someone who we love. We want you to know that you are not alone in this experience, and we are here to help you.
Hollywood Forever offers Yoga on the Fairbanks Lawn most days. For information please see our Yoga Schedule.
Finding meditation and grief can help ease your pain; for everything else, we are available to assist you.
We want to help you make the best decisions for you and your family to celebrate the memory of a life lived. If you have any questions about our cemetery, funeral home or cremation services, please contact us.
