Navigating Pet Loss Through Mindfulness: Creating a Rhythm for Healing

by Coleen Ellis | Sep 2, 2025

It’s always such an honor to have guest bloggers on the Two Hearts site! Thanks, Camille, for being there for all of our broken-hearted pet lovers to shed some light during their dark days.

A bit about Camille, Camille created Bereaver.com after she went through the ups and downs of the bereavement process herself following the loss of her parents and husband. With the help of her friend who was also experiencing a loss of her own, she learned how to grieve the healthy way, and she wants to share that with others. There is no one way to grieve, but it is important to do it in a way that supports your physical and mental health throughout.

Losing a beloved pet unravels a quiet part of life that often goes unseen by the outside world. The routines—morning walks, soft paw taps, the warm weight on the couch—vanish, and the silence left behind can feel almost physical. Mindfulness doesn’t erase the pain, but it can teach you to walk with it rather than resist it. This isn’t about forcing positivity or suppressing grief; it’s about noticing each moment as it arrives and letting that awareness slowly make room for healing. In these moments, attention itself becomes a companion, offering a rhythm to days that feel fragmented. Practicing mindfulness can gently help reintroduce breath and steadiness into a life suddenly missing its heartbeat.

Understanding grief in mindful terms

When grief takes hold, it rarely follows a neat timeline. One day you may feel functional; the next, tears arrive without reason. Psychologists and mindfulness teachers remind us that grief is a uniquely individual process. Paying attention to your own cycles—without judgment—creates the first step toward self-compassion. Sitting quietly with the feeling, whether it’s heaviness in the chest or a sudden ache of memory, teaches you to acknowledge pain instead of battling it. Even five slow breaths, eyes closed, can create a brief window where the heart softens around loss. Over time, simply naming what you feel—sadness, fatigue, longing—can reduce the sense that grief is an unpredictable storm.

Cultivating a positive mindset

While grief deserves its space, small acts of reframing can help you avoid being swallowed by hopelessness. Incorporating daily affirmations, gratitude moments, or gentle reflections on what your pet brought to your life builds resilience over time. Even one minute spent focusing on positive qualities—like love shared or joy given—shifts the emotional weight slightly toward balance. Experts note that mindfulness can help you stay positive by fostering this kind of intentional attention, reminding you that healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means letting love and memory live alongside loss.

Cultivating emotional regulation

Strong emotions in grief often collide: anger at the unfairness of loss, guilt for moments of relief, sadness that seems endless. Mindfulness offers a way to let these emotions surface without being drowned by them. Research and real-world practice show that mindfulness enhances emotional regulation by interrupting the automatic reactions that can make grief more overwhelming. Instead of snapping at a family member or retreating into numbness, you learn to pause, breathe, and watch the emotion crest and recede. This pause doesn’t eliminate pain—it simply stops the spiral. Each small act of awareness is like placing a hand on your own shoulder, letting yourself know it’s okay to feel.

Guided meditation for pet grief

Sometimes, inner stillness feels impossible to access alone. Guided meditations specifically for pet loss create a supportive space to feel and release emotion. Many people find relief when listening to a healing meditation for grieving a pet because the gentle voice and structure make it easier to stay present with the heartache. Lying down or sitting comfortably, you can let each word remind you of your love, your memories, and your capacity to hold sorrow without shattering. Over repeated sessions, the meditation becomes a ritual: a place where grief is honored, not rushed. Even ten minutes can shift a day from heavy and unmoored to quietly centered.

Rituals and mindful remembrance

Grief craves rituals, even small ones. Lighting a candle at sunset, framing a favorite photo, or writing a letter to your pet can transform raw absence into a moment of presence. Practices like these become mindful self‑care rituals offer internal nourishment, grounding your emotions in physical gestures. They signal to your heart: “I remember, and I honor.” When combined with slow breathing or a short meditation, these rituals turn into anchors on otherwise turbulent days. Over time, they shift the story from “loss without shape” to “love I can carry forward.”

Body‑mind connection with movement

Grief often hides in the body: tight shoulders, clenched jaws, restless legs. Introducing gentle movement can help release that tension in ways words cannot. Simple sequences in yoga or stretching bring attention to where pain lives and invite it to soften. Practicing regularly, even at home with a video or memory of a class, allows you to notice how gentle yoga releases stored tension. Moving through poses while breathing steadily transforms grief from an abstract cloud into something that can flow through muscle and bone, leaving you lighter after every session. Some days, two poses and a long exhale are enough.

Present‑moment anchoring in early grief

The first weeks after losing a pet often feel surreal, as if time itself has lost its outline. Moments of mindfulness can pull you back from that haze. Simply noticing the warmth of a mug, the sound of wind in the trees, or the feel of your own inhale is a profound act of survival. As you lean into these small anchors, you’ll find that being present in the moment helps in grief, not by erasing pain but by offering one breathable moment at a time. Eventually, these stitches of awareness form a thread strong enough to guide you through a day.

Grief after the loss of a pet is not a problem to solve but a landscape to walk through, step by step. Mindfulness creates a lantern in that landscape, illuminating the ground beneath your feet without rushing you forward. Breathing, moving, remembering, and noticing the present moment gradually reintroduce stability and warmth. Rituals and meditations become threads connecting love to memory, while body awareness transforms silent tension into motion. Over weeks and months, these practices open small windows where joy can peek in without guilt. In those windows, you begin to understand: the bond with your pet hasn’t ended—it has simply changed form, and your mindful attention is how you keep walking with it.

Discover a compassionate community and invaluable resources at Two Hearts Pet Loss Center to help you navigate the journey of pet loss with support and understanding.

A Day In the Life of a Pet Loss Companion

by Coleen Ellis | Aug 28, 2024

The morning begins quietly, with a cup of coffee, a review of my day’s schedule, and a deep breath. As a pet loss companion, each day is different, yet every day is bound by a shared thread of deep emotional connection and the profound grief that accompanies the loss of a beloved pet. Today, I prepare to meet Emily, who recently lost her cherished Labrador, Max. I know this will be a difficult session; the bond between Emily and Max was incredibly strong, and she is struggling to navigate a world without him.

The time arrives for our Zoom call. Immediately when she joins the session, I’m met with a wave of emotions that hang in the air even over the technology airwaves. The absence of Max is palpable. Emily greets me with a faint smile, her eyes still carrying the heaviness of her grief. We sit together in the space of the computer screen, and I let her speak, allowing the silence to be filled with her memories, tears, and the bittersweet stories of Max’s life.

Walking beside Emily in this journey of grief means creating a space where she feels heard and validated. Pet loss is often a type of disenfranchised grief—a grief that society doesn’t always fully recognize. For a loving pet parent, losing a pet can be as painful as losing a human loved one, however there is sometimes less understanding and support from others. Emily expresses her frustration at how some friends have told her to “move on” or “just get another dog.” These comments dismiss the depth of her loss, leaving her feeling even more isolated in her grief.

As her pet loss companion, I remind her that her feelings are valid. We talk about how Max was more than a pet; he was family, a confidant, and a source of unconditional love. In this moment, my role is to walk with her, not to rush her through her pain, but to support her as she processes it. My role is to give her permission for anything and everything her heart is telling her to feel. I also gently remind her to get her head out of the way… goodness me, so often that darn head gets in the way and believes “it” knows best when it comes to feelings. Oh contraire, My Head! You know nothing about feelings! Ha!

Emily visually takes me on a walk in the park where she used to bring Max, one of their favorite places. The walk is slow, filled with memories of Max running ahead, fetching sticks, and the way his tail wagged when he was happy. I encourage Emily to speak about these memories, acknowledging the pain, and permission as well to celebrate the joy Max brought into her life. I also tell her if she’s not ready to “celebrate” yet, then it’s not time to do that! (So many times I have to tell people our North American culture is quick to jump to “celebrating” believing feeling sad is bad. Seriously, that’s a bunch of BS. Huge BS! Shed those damn tears… our sweet precious animals deserve every one of them.)  This shared walk becomes a metaphor for her journey through grief—one step at a time, with support by her side.

By the end of our time together, Emily seems a little lighter, her burden slightly eased. She’s not “over it,” by any means. However, if I can do my part in leaning in and creating a healing space for all the Emily’s in the world, that’s my role. To validate, to give permission, to support, to hold feelings sacred… it’s truly an honor to sit in this seat.

Grief is not something that can be fixed or hurried, but with the power of support, it becomes a journey that doesn’t have to be walked alone. As a pet loss companion, I am honored and oh-so-grateful to be called upon to walk this path with those like Emily, helping them find solace in their memories and strength in their grief.

It’s also an honor to hear from others who, too, want to sit in this same seat of walking with those whose hearts have been shattered due to the death of a precious animal. It truly takes a village, and we are all in this together. I’m so grateful for every aspect of my educational journey to learn more about pet loss and grief counseling/companioning and participating in every certification program I can get my hands on. After all, I want to be at my best for all the Emily’s in the world, for that’s what THEY deserve.

Pet Loss & Grief: From My Heart to Yours on Companioning and Counseling

by Coleen Ellis | Mar 25, 2024

I’ve been getting a variety of requests lately about pet loss education. I wanted to share with you some of my personal and professional opinions on the benefits of training in this area to companion, counsel and walk with grieving pet lovers.

Losing a beloved pet for a pet parent is an emotionally wrenching experience, one that can leave individuals feeling isolated and overwhelmed by grief. In recent years, however, the recognition of pet loss as a significant source of sorrow has led to a growing awareness of the need for specialized support and counseling in this area. Pet loss education, particularly through programs like the Pet Loss & Grief Companioning Certification course, offers invaluable benefits for both counselors and grieving pet owners.

First and foremost, pet loss education provides counselors with the necessary knowledge and skills to support individuals navigating the complex terrain of grief. While the loss of a pet may not be widely understood by society at large, trained professionals can offer empathy, validation, and practical coping strategies tailored to the unique needs of grieving pet owners. The Pet Loss & Grief Companioning Certification program, for instance, equips counselors with a comprehensive understanding of the grieving process, communication techniques, and self-care practices, all mixed with a bit of business education as well.

Moreover, pet loss education helps to destigmatize and normalize the grieving process associated with losing a pet. By acknowledging the depth of the bond between humans and their animal companions, society can foster greater compassion and understanding for those experiencing pet loss grief. Certified counselors play a crucial role in this endeavor, offering a safe space for individuals to express their emotions without judgment or dismissal.

For pet owners grappling with the loss of a beloved companion, the benefits of pet loss support are immeasurable. Through compassionate guidance and support, counselors help individuals honor their pet’s memory, navigate feelings of guilt or regret, and find meaning in their grief journey. Additionally, pet loss education empowers support personnel the skill set to address the unique challenges that may arise in the aftermath of pet loss, such as anticipatory grief, euthanasia decisions, and the role of pets in family dynamics.

In essence, pet loss education and grief counseling serve as beacons of solace and healing for those navigating the profound sorrow of losing a cherished pet. By investing in programs like the Pet Loss & Grief Companioning Certification, we can ensure that individuals receive the support and understanding they need to navigate this often-overlooked aspect of grief with dignity and compassion.

Thanks for letting me share, from me to you. And, thank you for doing what you can do to be a bit of light in the shattered heart of a pet lover’s dark.

Tips for Dealing With the Loss of a Pet

by Gloria Martinez | Apr 17, 2022