Jensen Grey’s mama, Danielle, wrote this great post about grief during the holidays. Her first tip is to remember to breathe, which I love. Doing some breathing is a really good way to practice mindfulness and get yourself centered again, even when you’re having a hard day.

The upcoming holidays can seem like a daunting task to anyone who participates in them. They’re even more so when you’re grieving the loss of your child or children. I know just thinking about spending another Thanksgiving and Christmas without my son, Jensen, brings me such heartache. In my first year of grief, I wished there was a guidebook in how to journey through the long winter days.

We all know this book doesn’t exist.

What helped me tremendously was reaching out to other loss parents to talk, vent, and just share about my child and what was going on around me. Sometimes, I found myself in vulnerable positions without being able to reach out. Grief had tested me again. Through a lot of tears and running out of family-filled rooms, I learned a routine to help combat the mix of my grief and the holiday cheer.

Find Danielle’s 5 Tips Here