How to Navigate Grief Without Losing Yourself—This Group Shows You How

Grief is a universal experience, yet it often feels incredibly isolating. Studies show that unprocessed grief can lead to long-term mental and physical health challenges, including increased anxiety, depression, and even a weakened immune system. Research from the American Psychological Association highlights that mindfulness and meditation can significantly reduce grief-related stress by helping individuals regulate their emotions and stay present in their healing journey.

Alana Herman knows this feeling intimately. After losing her father in 2021, she found herself navigating an overwhelming storm of emotions—grief, anxiety, panic, and an aching loneliness that no one in her immediate circle could quite understand. It was in this raw, vulnerable space that Girls Who Grieve (GWG) was born. By integrating mindfulness, meditation, and community support, GWG provides young women with structured tools to process their loss in a way that promotes long-term emotional well-being. The group doesn’t just acknowledge grief—it holds space for it, allowing members to explore their emotions, find coping strategies, and connect with others who understand what it’s like to grieve not just the past, but the future they imagined with their loved one.

From Personal Loss to Powerful Purpose

“During the months after my dad’s passing, I suffered deeply. I had panic attacks, struggled with daily tasks, and felt like life had moved on for everyone else while I was stuck in a void of loss,” Alana shares. But in this darkness, she found a light—community. Through a close friendship with Brittany Conigatti Lucchesi, a fellow yoga trainee who had also experienced the loss of her father, another young woman who had lost her father, she realized how powerful it was to have someone who truly got it.

With the help of Brittany and a licensed clinical social worker Jessica Pisano, they created Girls Who Grieve, an ten-week program designed to provide young women with the tools, community, and support they need to navigate loss.

Mindfulness: The Anchor in the Storm of Grief

One of the core elements of GWG is its emphasis on mindfulness-based healing.

“When I first started practicing yoga, I didn’t realize it was teaching me how to cope with grief,” Alana explains. “Whatever happens on the mat is a reflection of how you live your life. Movement, journaling, and breathwork kept me calm leading up to my dad’s passing, even when I didn’t realize it.”

GWG incorporates these powerful tools into each session, introducing members to guided meditations, intentional movement, and structured journaling exercises. These practices provide tangible ways to navigate grief’s unpredictable waves and help participants develop self-care rituals that extend beyond the eight-week program.

Staying Present When Grief Pulls You Back

Grief has a way of pulling us into the past or making us fear the future. “Anxiety happens when we are stuck in either of those places,” Alana notes. “Mindfulness brings us back to the present.”

GWG participants are encouraged to engage in grounding exercises like deep breathing, body scans, and small daily rituals—making a cup of tea, getting morning sunlight, or simply sitting with their emotions without judgment. “We want our members to discover what works for them,” Alana says. “Not everyone connects with meditation. For me, movement was what saved me—I walked as much as I could, and when I was ready, I started doing yoga.”

Finding Strength in Shared Stories

While mindfulness practices provide essential tools for managing grief, the true magic of GWG lies in its community. “One of the hardest parts of grief is how isolating it feels,” Alana says. “After the funeral ends, life moves on for everyone else—but for us, the grieving process doesn’t stop.”

GWG creates space for women not only to share their stories but to build lasting relationships. Beyond the eight-week series, the organization hosts community events like group walks, art sessions, and social gatherings, encouraging members to bring their support systems—friends, family, even pets.

“Grieving women in their 20s, 30s, and early 40s are not just mourning the past,” Alana points out. “They’re grieving the milestones their loved ones won’t get to see—graduations, weddings, children. GWG helps women process both the memories they cherish and the future they imagined.”

Your Personal Grief Toolkit: Simple Practices That Help

For those new to mindfulness and struggling with grief, Alana offers a simple yet profound piece of advice: Start small.

“When I was in the thick of my grief, I felt like nothing worked. What I needed was connection—someone who had been through what I was going through. That’s why GWG exists,” she says.

She encourages anyone navigating loss to experiment with different mindfulness tools to see what resonates. So while it may feel impossible at the time, we want to offer some options to try. But remember Alana’s words…start small. Sometimes just getting out of bed or taking a shower is the greatest achievement. 

• Breathwork for Anxiety: Try a deep breathing technique like box breathing (inhale for four, hold for four, exhale for four, hold for four). This helps regulate the nervous system and brings a sense of calm.
• Movement for Processing Emotions: If sitting still feels impossible, move. Whether it’s a walk around the block, stretching, or a yoga class, movement can help release pent-up emotions.
• Journaling for Reflection: Writing down thoughts, memories, or even just emotions as they come up can be a powerful way to externalize grief.
• Daily Rituals for Grounding: Find one simple act you can incorporate into your day—a morning cup of tea, a moment in the sun, or lighting a candle in memory of your loved one.

“Healing doesn’t happen overnight,” Alana reminds us. “But when you have the right support system, tools, and community, it becomes possible to move forward—without leaving your love for them behind.”

Girls Who Grieve is more than a support group; it’s a testament to the power of connection, mindfulness, and healing. If you or someone you know is navigating loss, know that you are not alone—and there is a community ready to walk beside you.