14 meditations to support your mental and emotional healing

Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA

Looking for ways to heal through meditation? These 14 practices help you regulate your nervous system, soften grief, and build emotional resilience at your own pace.

When you’re grieving, heartbroken, or carrying trauma, even small tasks can feel like too much. Your nervous system is fried, your thoughts don’t slow down, and your emotions can hit hard. People might tell you to “just breathe” or “try meditation,” but when life feels overwhelming, it’s tough to know where to start.

Here’s the truth: Meditation isn’t a quick fix, and it won’t magically erase pain. But the right kind of meditation—simple, grounding, and rooted in self-compassion—can help.

Let’s explore how meditation can support your emotional and mental healing, especially when things feel raw or fragile, and some gentle practices to help you feel more anchored and supported during tough times.

How can meditation support emotional and mental healing?

Emotional pain lives in the body and the mind. When you’re dealing with grief, trauma, or heartbreak, your nervous system takes the hit. Your heart might race, your chest tightens, sleep goes out the window, and focus can be a struggle. Meditation helps by creating a little space inside all that noise — a place to notice what’s happening, without needing to fix or change it right away.

Clinically, mindfulness-based practices have been shown to ease symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. They help regulate your nervous system, reduce emotional reactivity, and build resilience over time. Meditation doesn’t erase hard feelings, but it teaches you how to sit with them without spiraling. That alone can be a game-changer.

When you practice simple awareness—noticing your breath, your body, or your emotions with curiosity and care—you start to relate to pain differently. You’re no longer fighting it or running from it. You’re learning to stay with yourself through it. That shift can lessen suffering and make healing feel more possible.

Most importantly, meditation can be one of the few places where you don’t have to perform, explain, or prove anything. You just show up as you are, with whatever you’re carrying, and offer yourself a little bit of presence and kindness. That’s where healing begins.

14 meditations for healing what you’re going through

There’s no one-size-fits-all meditation for emotional pain. What feels calming to one person might feel like too much for someone else, especially when grief or trauma are involved. Here’s a range of practices that support healing in different ways, from grounding your nervous system to softening self-judgment to simply making space for big feelings.

You don’t need to do all of them. Start with what feels doable and adjust as you go.

Meditations for emotional healing

When emotions feel sharp or unpredictable, meditation can help you stay steady. These practices bring you back to your body, your breath, and the present moment, helping you ride out difficult feelings without getting pulled under.

1. Mindfulness meditation focuses your attention on your breath or bodily sensations, helping you observe emotions without reacting to them. It can be your go-to when you’re overwhelmed or stuck in thought loops.

Here’s how to do it:

• Sit or lie down comfortably. Close your eyes or soften your gaze.

• Bring attention to your breath.

• When thoughts or feelings arise, label them gently (“thinking,” “sadness”) and return to your breath.

• Practice for 5–10 minutes.

💙 Learn the basics of mindfulness meditation during the 7 Days of Calm series on the Calm app.

2. Body scan meditation moves your attention slowly through the body, so you notice where emotions may be held physically. It can help release tension and reconnect your mind and body.

Here’s how to do it:

• Lie down or sit with your back supported.

• Slowly scan from your toes to the top of your head, noticing physical sensations.

• If you feel tension or discomfort, breathe gently into that area.

• Try for 5–15 minutes.

💙 If you need extra guidance, listen to the Body Scan meditation on the Calm app.

3. Loving-kindness meditation (metta) has you repeat gentle phrases of goodwill toward yourself and others. It can soften emotional pain and counteract self-judgment or loneliness.

Here’s how to do it:

• Sit quietly and silently repeat phrases like, “May I be safe. May I be peaceful. May I be kind to myself.”

• You can expand to others if it feels safe.

• Focus on the feeling behind the words.

💙 In this guided meditation on the Calm app, you’ll learn how to send Loving-Kindness to yourself and others.

Meditations for grief recovery and healing after loss

Grief doesn’t follow a script. These meditations create space for sorrow, helping you stay connected to yourself through waves of loss.

4.  Grief-focused mindfulness, a gentle form of awareness practice, allows grief to arise and move naturally. Instead of avoiding or analyzing feelings, you practice being with them.

Here’s how to do it:

• Sit quietly and tune in to your breath or your body.

• Notice what’s present—sadness, longing, tears—and name it softly.

• Breathe with it, not trying to push it away or solve anything.

💙 Lama Rod Owens gives you new tools to support yourself through times of loss in his Caring for Your Grief series on the Calm app.

5. Grounding meditation uses sensory details or physical touch (feet on the ground, hand on chest) to keep yourself anchored when grief threatens to overwhelm you.

Here’s how to do it:

• Notice five things you can see, four you can hear, three you can touch, two you can smell, and one you can taste.

• Feel your feet on the floor, your body supported.

• Take a few deep breaths to reconnect with your surroundings.

💙 Let Tamara Levitt guide you in the grounding 5-4-3-2-1 meditation on the Calm app.

Mental healing meditations

When your mind is spinning, or everything feels heavy and foggy, these practices can help you find a little clarity. They’re designed for daily support — simple, flexible, and steadying.

6. Self-compassion meditation encourages a kind, supportive inner voice when you’re being hard on yourself or feeling stuck. It’s often paired with mindfulness for balance.

Here’s how to do it:

• After a few minutes of mindfulness, bring attention to a painful thought or feeling.

• Say something kind: “This is hard, and I’m doing my best.”

• Imagine how you’d speak to a friend — now speak that way to yourself.

💙 Learn more during Tara Brach’s Radical Self-Compassion series on the Calm app. 

7. Everyday (informal) mindfulness refers to short, in-the-moment practices that bring mindful awareness to daily activities — like breathing while waiting in line or noticing sensations on a walk.

Here’s how to do it:

• Take three slow breaths while waiting for your coffee or standing in line.

• Pay attention to the taste and texture of your food during mealtimes.

• Feel the pattern of your feet on the ground during your daily walk.

💙 Practice taking a One-Minute Reset at any point in your day during this meditation on the Calm app.

Meditations for trauma healing

Trauma can make traditional meditation feel unsafe. These trauma-informed approaches incorporate grounding and a slower pace, helping your nervous system gradually feel more stable.

8. Trauma-informed mindfulness encourages gentle awareness of the present moment with an emphasis on safety. It often relies on external anchors (sound, breath, touch) rather than a deep internal focus.

Here’s how to do it:

• Sit in a way that feels secure. Eyes open or closed — your choice.

• Focus on a neutral anchor (sound, breath, feet on the floor).

• If anything feels too much, stop. Shifting attention is part of the practice.

💙 Bring yourself more ease by listening to Oren Jay Sofer’s 7 Days of Soothing Pain series. 

9. Somatic awareness meditation focuses on sensing the body from the outside in, building tolerance for bodily awareness slowly.

How to do it:

• Notice areas of your body that feel calm or neutral — hands, feet, or breath.

• Stay with those sensations until you feel more grounded.

• Avoid areas that feel overwhelming.

💙 This Peaceful Sleep meditation on the Calm app is a relaxing way to build more awareness of your body sensations. 

Inner child healing meditations

When old emotional wounds resurface—often tied to unmet needs or childhood pain—these meditations offer a gentle path toward connection and care.

10. Inner child reassurance meditation is a more targeted version of self-compassion that frames the practice as nurturing a younger self.

Here’s how to do it:

• Imagine your younger self at a difficult age or moment. 

• Speak gently to that part using short phrases like, “You’re not alone now,” or “You were always worthy of love.” 

• Pair this with a hand on your heart or breath awareness if helpful.

💙 Jeff Warren explores the concept of an inner child in his Inner Child Project meditation on the Calm app.

11. Affirmation-based meditation involves repeating simple, reassuring phrases to yourself (e.g., “You’re safe now,” or “You didn’t deserve that”). It helps rebuild internal trust and emotional safety.

Here's how to do it:

• Choose 1–2 simple phrases: “I’m safe,” or “I matter.”

• Repeat them slowly while breathing.

• Speak them like you mean them — even if it takes time to believe.

💙 Practice repeating Self-Affirmations during this short exercise with Jay Shetty. 

12. Safe place visualization helps build a sense of internal safety — a beginner-friendly intro to imagery.

Here’s to do it:

• Sit quietly and imagine a place where you feel completely safe — real or imagined.

• Notice the details: what you see, hear, feel, smell.

• You can return to this place anytime you feel overwhelmed.

• Anchor it with breath or physical touch (e.g., hand on heart).

💙 If your safe place is on a beach, let this Soundscape Meditation: California Beachside on the Calm app help you deepen your visualization.

Meditations for heartbreak

Heartbreak can shake your sense of identity. These practices help you hold the pain with care, soothe emotional spikes, and begin to rebuild stability and self-trust.

13. Mindful emotional awareness guides you to notice the emotional waves without getting hooked. Observing sadness, resentment, or yearning without reacting can help soften their grip.

Here’s to do it:

• Sit and observe what emotion is present. Name it: “This is sadness,” or “This is loneliness.”

• Let it be there without analysis. Breathe with it.

• Watch it shift or fade over time — or just allow it to stay.

💙 Practice Labeling Emotions during this exercise with Jay Shetty on the Calm app.

14. Daily self-care meditations are short, consistent practices that help regulate emotions and affirm your worth. They can be especially helpful when heartbreak disrupts sleep, appetite, or self-esteem.

Here’s to do it:

• Set aside five minutes each day to check in on how you’re doing.

• Notice what you might need right now and then do that. 

• You might breathe, cry, soften your body, repeat a positive affirmation, or all of the above. 

Meditation for healing FAQs

Which meditation practices help work through grief?

Mindfulness meditation, body scans, and self-compassion practices are especially supportive for grief. They allow you to notice and be with sorrow gently, without needing to fix or suppress it. Grief-focused mindfulness and grounding meditations can also help you stay anchored when waves of emotion hit hard. 

What matters most is that the practice feels safe and allows space for whatever is coming up — sadness, anger, numbness, or longing.

How do you meditate for emotional healing without feeling overwhelmed?

Start small and stay grounded. It’s okay to meditate for just a few minutes, using something simple like focusing on your breath or the sensation of your feet on the floor. If strong feelings arise, pause and return to a grounding anchor like sound, breath, or physical touch. 

You don’t need to “stay with” intense emotions — the goal is to create space, not to dive deep right away. Overwhelm often comes from pushing too hard, too fast, so pace yourself with care.

Can daily meditation really help my body heal, or just my mind?

Daily meditation can support both your mental and physical health by calming the nervous system. When practiced regularly, it reduces stress-related symptoms like muscle tension, fatigue, and insomnia and can also help regulate systems tied to immune response, digestion, and inflammation. 

This is especially effective when paired with rest.

How do you safely release trauma through meditation?

Safely releasing trauma through meditation means creating a sense of internal stability. Use trauma-informed approaches that focus on grounding, body awareness, and choice, emphasizing gentle observation over deep emotional processing. 

Keep sessions short, focus on neutral or pleasant sensations (like breath or feet), and give yourself permission to stop at any time. If meditation brings up intense or distressing feelings, consider working with a trauma-informed therapist alongside your practice.

Is guided meditation for healing better than doing it on my own?

Guided meditations can be especially helpful when you’re starting out or feeling emotionally raw. A supportive voice can help you stay focused and remind you to return to breath, body, or kindness when your mind wanders. 

Guided sessions often include structure, pacing, and reassurance — which can make them feel safer than navigating difficult emotions alone. Solo meditation can be powerful too, especially once you’ve learned what feels supportive. It’s not about better or worse, just what you need in the moment.

Which meditation helps the most with grief recovery?

There isn’t one “best” meditation for grief, because everyone grieves differently, but many people find mindfulness, body scan, and self-compassion practices especially helpful. These create space to feel without judgment and reconnect with your body when emotions become overwhelming. 

Grounding techniques also help when grief becomes physically or emotionally destabilizing. Ultimately, the most helpful meditation is the one that feels doable and kind to your nervous system right now.

Does meditation actually help with heartbreak recovery?

Yes — not by erasing pain, but by helping you stay steady inside it. Practices like loving-kindness and mindful emotional awareness can reduce reactivity, soften blame, and support your sense of self-worth. 

Meditation doesn’t fast-forward you through heartbreak, but it can offer moments of calm, clarity, and compassion as you move through it. Over time, these small moments help shift the emotional weight and create space for healing.

Is inner child healing meditation okay for beginners?

Yes, if you keep it gentle and grounded. You don’t need elaborate visualizations or deep emotional dives to start reconnecting with younger parts of yourself. A simple self-compassion practice—like placing a hand on your heart and offering kind words—can be enough. 

It’s also okay to start with grounding or mindfulness until you feel more stable. If inner child work brings up intense feelings, pause and consider support from a therapist or trusted guide.

What should I do if meditation brings up emotions I didn’t expect?

Unexpected emotions can be part of the process, not a sign that you’re doing it wrong. If something strong comes up, pause the meditation. Ground yourself using breath, touch, or sensory awareness (e.g., feel your feet, notice sounds). Take a walk, drink water, or journal what you felt. You don’t need to analyze or “fix” the emotion. 

If the experience lingers or feels overwhelming, consider reaching out to a therapist or support person. Meditation is a tool, not a test — you can always return when you feel ready.

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