How can we cope with sadness after something bad happens? How can we start to feel better again? What can we do to take that one next step after difficult events?
Slow down and make some time with these two mindfulness animations from the Headspace YouTube channel. In the video above, Processing Grief after Tragedy, meditation and mindfulness teacher Dora Kamau gently reminds us how grief ebbs and flows, taking on different forms and intensities.
The first part of the animation describes how our emotions move through us; the second part provides one-minute of calm and self-compassion.
“Shock is the initial stage of grief, a process that is unpredictable, non-linear, and deeply complex. Like the tip of an iceberg, there’s more than meets the eye when navigating and experiencing grief.”
“But with mindfulness, we can support our minds and bodies to work together so that one doesn’t forget the other and create the right conditions for them to continuously communicate. In doing so, in bringing mind and body together, we can become aware of those thoughts and feelings and really take time to pause and process the shock we’re experiencing so we can become unstuck and continue to move forward.”
And when we feel overwhelmed by all the problems in the world, it’s natural to want to create some distance from what’s going on or to spend time alone. It takes time to process our thoughts and feelings, and sometimes a sense of powerlessness can overshadow where we have control.
In Calming Meditation for Crisis Response: Taking One Next Step After Difficult Events, meditation and mindfulness teacher Sam Snowden spends two minutes acknowledging these feelings. A guided meditation follows for 2.5 minutes.
In the video’s final minute or so, Snowden provides some understanding about where these feelings come from, and shares how to honor a potential source for these feelings—fierce compassion—so that we can make wise, connected decisions as we take our next steps.
Headspace is a popular meditation and mindfulness app for all ages. In recent years, they’ve created free videos like these to help communities that are going through stressful and challenging times.
Watch more videos about mindfulness and emotions:
• How to deal with anxiety from change and how to be at peace with the unknown
• Mindfulness animations on change, calm, and connection
• “Meditation is all about practice,” two animal-themed animations for all ages
Plus, don’t miss Millennium Falcon Meltdown: Find your Force with Star Wars and Headspace.
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