Letting Go

This Meditation is from Daily Calm. Tamara Levitt guides this 10 minute Daily Calm mindfulness meditation on letting go.

Meditating Through Grief

When someone you love dies, or you suffer any sort of profound loss, you're faced with a multitude of emotions. You may feel angry, sad, shocked or unsure of what to do next. Meditation can help us stay present with these emotions and be more comfortable with our grief. Here's how:

Life is impermanent.

Understanding and accepting impermanence is the first step toward dealing with loss and grief. To learn more about this idea, think about how you would feel if you were told that your family or friends will die before you do—impermanence is a fact of life. When someone dies or leaves us, it’s only natural to grieve their loss but try to remember that they are only gone temporarily and will return again when they can. Even if they have been dead for thousands of years, there is still hope that they will return someday—it just might take some time!

You get to make meaning out of what's happened.

The first step in dealing with loss is to accept that you can't change what has happened. You can only change how you react to it, and even then, your reaction is dictated by the circumstances of your life at that moment.

Once you've accepted this reality—and let go of trying to change anything or anyone—you'll be able to find opportunities for growth and meaning in even the most difficult experiences.

Acceptance doesn't mean resignation or giving up; rather it's a way of letting go so that there's room for future possibilities.

I am not my thoughts or feelings. I am the awareness behind them.

You are not your thoughts or feelings. You are the awareness behind them. This statement may sound a bit mind-bending, but it’s true! You can find this truth by simply observing yourself from moment to moment, noticing how your consciousness exists separately from its contents. When you experience an emotion such as sadness or anger, ask yourself “What am I feeling right now?” Notice that there is a part of you that is separate from whatever emotion is arising in the moment; this part simply observes what is happening inside of you without judgment or resistance. When you notice this space between your inner world and outer world (the space between what we call “self”), you realize that all experience arises within this vast emptiness—even unpleasant experiences like pain and loss—and they do so temporarily before disappearing once again into pure consciousness itself: pure awareness without form or content...

My thoughts and feelings are temporary.

One of the most important things to know about your thoughts and feelings is that they are temporary.

For example, if someone says something mean to you, you might get very upset by this statement because it feels like an attack on who you are as a person. But when you realize that this statement is just one thought that has arisen within your mind in response to another situation or event in which someone else was hurtful toward themself or others, then suddenly the whole experience doesn't seem so personal anymore! Your ability to detach from situations will help prevent future suffering too—meditation helps us see our thoughts and feelings as transient phenomena so we can learn how not get caught up in them.

Meditation can help us stay present and comfortable with whatever comes next.

No matter how much we try to control things, life will always be a little out of our hands. Sometimes we lose people and things that are important to us. That can feel like the end of the world for some people. But no matter what happens, meditation is a great way to stay present in your body and mind during this time—and to be comfortable with whatever comes next.

Meditation also helps us let go of attachments we have to either the past or future—or even just one day at a time. Instead, you can focus on what’s happening in this moment: your breath flowing in and out of your body; sensations moving through different parts of it; sounds around you; images appearing on the inside screen of your eyes…. The list goes on!

By meditating regularly before bedtime (even if only for five minutes), setting an intention for sleep each night before drifting off into slumberland will automatically prime your brain for peaceful rest every single night without fail…and that’s really something worth counting as one more priceless benefit from practicing mindfulness meditation daily!

Accept that grief can trigger many different and unexpected emotions.

Understand that the loss of your loved one can trigger many different and unexpected emotions. It’s normal to feel angry, sad, or afraid. It is important to acknowledge these feelings so that you can move forward with healing.

Understand that your grieving process will be unique to you.

You may wonder if your grieving process is normal. If you're feeling a sense of shame, or feel like something is wrong with you for being unable to "snap out of it" and move on, understand that this is a common experience. Everyone's grief journey is different—there's no right or wrong way to grieve.

It can be helpful to know that there are many stages of grief; these stages don't necessarily happen in order: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Be gentle with yourself if you find yourself stuck in one stage longer than another; accept each stage as normal while they pass through your mind and body.

Recognize the difference between grief and depression.

Grief is a natural reaction to death and loss, but it's important to recognize the difference between grief and depression. Depression is a mental illness that can be triggered by many different things, including loss.

Grief can be very painful and overwhelming. It's not a sign of weakness or something you should feel ashamed about; it's an absolutely normal response to tragedy.

Acknowledge the pain.

It's important to recognize that your feelings are not facts. You don't have to believe them, and they'll pass with time. As soon as you start feeling sad, angry or afraid, acknowledge that this is what you're experiencing right now. It's okay to feel sad; it doesn't mean there's something wrong with you or that somehow this experience is your fault.

You may find yourself thinking about the person you've lost when something triggers a painful memory—for example, seeing their favorite flower or watching TV shows they liked —but try not to worry about it too much: these thoughts are natural and healthy ways of coping with loss. It can also be helpful if someone else reminds us of our loved one in order for us to maintain awareness of their absence from our lives without being overwhelmed by grief (for example, by saying something like "I know Claire would have loved this").

Meditating on loss helps you grieve in healthier ways.

When we meditate on loss, we are practicing being present in the moment. We are letting go of thoughts that keep us from enjoying our lives and experiencing love. When we meditate on loss, we are practicing acceptance of ourselves, others and life as it is.

You might not feel like you're making progress and there may be times when you feel like giving up. But remember that this is normal and temporary. Grief doesn't always come in waves; sometimes it's a steady flow, sometimes it's a trickle. You will feel better when you can accept and acknowledge the pain instead of trying to avoid or ignore it.