When you’re meditating, you’re deliberately increasing your state of awareness. You boost your concentration with the aim of enhancing your psychological wellness. The benefits of this practice — which is observed across many cultures — can prove to be helpful in coping with the death of a loved one. Like how sympathy gifts such as Memorial wind chimes can soothe a mourning heart, meditation can help you shut down the noise (physically and figuratively speaking) and deal with your feelings more effectively.

This article offers a better understanding of how you can move forward while grieving the loss of a loved one through proper meditation.

The Benefits Of Meditation To Mourners

Receiving sympathy gifts like memorial wind chimes lets you know that people genuinely remember the deceased and care for you. If you’ve been advised by someone to try meditation to help you move forward, know that it’s also a way for them to express their sympathy to you.

Have you ever wondered how meditation can help mourners? Here are some ways how.

It lets you understand your emotions better. Meditation lets you be mindful of your own feelings, thereby forging a better sense of connection to yourself. This is important in facing and accepting the reality of the loss of a loved one. As you improve self-compassion, you’ll be more enticed to practice self-care.

It improves your sleep. One of the most fundamental yet important ways of caring for yourself is getting proper sleep. But sleep can be too elusive if you’re being chased by feelings of guilt, sadness, and regret. Studies prove that meditation can help reduce insomnia.

It helps you boost your immune functioning. There are various health benefits that come with meditation. You won’t just enjoy better sleep or alleviate headaches and chest pain, you can also prevent upsetting your digestive system and decrease your blood pressure.

It lowers your risk of getting depressed. Several studies show that people who tragically lost a loved one and underwent mindfulness-based therapy showed better growth compared to those who didn’t. If you practice meditation, you can overcome negative thoughts and allow yourself to live more peacefully.

It fosters mental and emotional resilience. If you aren’t mentally and emotionally resilient, resisting substance addiction especially after a life-changing event (like losing a loved one) can be difficult. When you meditate, you can improve your focus and be more psychologically stable — in the immediate weeks after a loved one’s death and even beyond.

How To Meditate

There are different types of meditation, but the most basic one is mindfulness meditation. It’s the practice of simply sitting in a secluded place where you can close your eyes and concentrate on breathing in and out.

You can also try the so-called visualization meditation wherein you’re encouraged to picture out positive images or symbols related to the deceased. In many cases, this can be paired with mantra meditation wherein you’ll repetitively state a certain phrase. It can also be aided with sounds (e.g. Those calming sounds coming from memorial wind chimes) to help stir more of your senses.

No matter which forms of meditation you observe, it’s important to note that grief doesn’t heal overnight. Letting go of such an intense emotion is a gradual one. While it lets you show your vulnerable side, it’s a universal feeling that’s part of what makes you human.