10 Comforting Activities for Grief That Are Free or Low-Cost
Grief can make reading hard. Want to listen to this article instead? Find its corresponding podcast episode here.
When you’re grieving, even the simplest tasks can feel overwhelming. After my best friend died suddenly in 2022, I remember going to the grocery store felt like moving mountains. (In my book Permission to Grieve I refer to life after loss as “wading through mud with iron boots on.” Can you relate?)
When the world expects you to keep functioning while your inner world has shattered, finding ways to take care of yourself can feel nearly impossible—especially when you’re emotionally exhausted or financially strained.
I created this short list to remind you that finding comfort in grief doesn’t have to be complicated or costly.
While society often jumps to “Maybe you should talk to someone!” (aka a therapist) after a loss, paying to sit on a stranger’s couch for 50 minutes can be daunting for many reasons. Whether you don’t have the money, are strapped for time, aren’t ready to share your grief story, or are simply in a season where you need less high-touch approaches to loss, small, gentle activities can be helpful.
These ten gentle activities are all free or very low-cost—and they aren’t about “fixing” your grief. They’re about creating moments of relief, connection, grounding, and presence—tiny lifelines that can help you feel more human in the midst of heartbreak.
Pick a favorite or two and see how your grief responds.
1. Go for a Walk Outside—Even Just Around the Block
Grief lives in your body as much as in lives in your heart and mind. A short walk can help regulate your nervous system, shift your energy and mood, and reconnect you with the world outside your head.
You don’t need to make it a “power walk” where the goal is exercise. You don’t even need to count your steps, unless that sort of measuring is helpful to you. Just spending a few minutes outside—even barefoot in your backyard—can bring a sense of movement to emotional stuckness. If you’re longing for connection, consider inviting a friend to walk with you, taking a pet for a stroll, or choosing a nearby destination, such as a library or coffee shop, where you commit to smiling at or saying hello to one person before heading back home.
If you’re not able to walk due to disability or weather, consider opening the windows and breathing deeply for 60 seconds or doing other body movements like swinging your arms, marching in place, or circling your wrists and ankles.
2. Stretch or Try Gentle Yoga at Home
Gentle yoga or stretching can help you put yourself back in your body when grief makes you feel numb or disconnected. Grief Yoga founder Paul Denniston’s book Healing Through Yoga is a great, grief-informed guide for moving your body after loss.
YouTube is also full of free videos for grief, anxiety, and trauma-sensitive movement. Try searching “grief stretching,” “yoga for trauma,” or “gentle movement for heartbreak.” Yoga with Adriene was one of my favorite teachers after my mom died in 2013. If you’re looking for something low-key, audio-only, and ad-free, Insight Timer is a marvelous platform for yoga flows, meditations, mindfulness exercises, and podcasts.
3. Write Without Judgment
Grief can put your brain on overdrive, and it can often feel like there’s no break from the onslaught of thoughts and emotions. Journaling gives those thoughts and emotions a safe landing place. You don’t need to be a “writer” to journal and you certainly don’t have to write with the intention of others seeing your work. This can be a practice that exists for you and your grief, and grief doesn’t care about grammar!
Some ideas:
Write a letter to your person who died (or to the life you lost)
Jot down what you're afraid to say out loud
Use the prompt: “Right now, I feel…”
If a blank page feels overwhelming, consider picking up my (nonreligious!) daily devotional Your Grief, Your Way and writing something each day inspired by the day’s entry. For instance dealing with a loved one’s possessions, dreaming about grief, or coping with friends and family who don’t seem to understand.
If you’re looking for even more structure, my online course + community Life After Loss Academy includes more than 60 guided video lessons, each with a journaling prompt or exercise to get you thinking and writing about the many aspects of loss.
4. Sing or Play Music—Even If You're Off-Key
Sound is a powerful outlet for coping with loss. Whether you’re playing an instrument, singing loudly in the car or shower, or listening to a playlist that makes you cry (or dance)—music can help you get unstuck and reconnect you with your body.
You might create a grief playlist of songs that match your emotional state, pick up and play an instrument that’s been gathering dust, or try singing a song your person loved. Let music be both a container and a release.
5. Let Yourself Sleep (More Than You Think You “Should”)
Grief is exhausting—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. You’re not lazy or a failure if you choose to sleep in response to the overwhelm of grief. Rest is reparative, and even a short nap can help destress your brain and body. After my mom died, I found myself longing for bedtime in ways I never had before—sometimes sleeping as much as 12 hours a night. And after my best friend died, I set my computer to “out to lunch” during work hours to nap in the middle of the day.
So, so many grievers describe life after loss as “exhausting.” My response to that is, “If you can rest more, rest more!” It may not feel like it in the moment, but over time, a little added rest helps a lot.
If sleep feels elusive, try laying down with your eyes closed in a dark room for 20 minutes. That still counts. And if you struggle with nightmares surrounding loss, check out my Grief Grower podcast episode with Dr. Joshua Black, an expert on grief dreams. His tips might help you shift from nightmares to positive dreams that help you cope and process your grief.
6. Surround Yourself with Warmth
Sometimes, heat can be a kind of medicine. Making a hot cup of tea, sipping warm broth, or simply holding a mug of hot chocolate (my personal favorite) can help regulate your nervous system and bring you back to the moment.
You can make this a ritual—something small you do each day to signal to your body: You are safe. You are held. It’s okay to relax in this moment.
You might add in a soft blanket, warm bath, a heating pad, or a loved one’s sweater or sweatshirt for extra layers of comfort.
7. Spend Time With Animals (Yours or Borrowed)
Animals don’t ask you to explain your grief. They just sit with you in it, and that can feel like a sort of blessing in a society where humans often demand certainty, answers, and clear words to describe your grief. Many people describe animals’ presence as a form of unconditional love and that can be healing when you’re feeling walloped by loss.
If you have a pet, consider devoting a little extra time to feeding them, brushing them, sitting with them, or walking them.
If you don’t have a pet—or if you’re grieving the loss of a pet and aren’t interested in welcoming one into your home—consider visiting a local animal shelter, volunteering at a rescue organization, or asking a friend if you can walk their dog or cuddle their cat for an afternoon. You might also choose to admire animals from a distance by going birdwatching, visiting a local or national park, spending time on a farm, or getting tickets to a zoo, aquarium, or nature sanctuary near you.
8. Try a Simple Art or Craft Project
Creativity of any kind gives grief a shape and a “place to go” in the world outside your head and heart.
Many of my clients and students have enjoyed:
Doodling or sketching
Watercolor painting
Creating a memory box or grief altar
Floral design
Making pottery or painting ceramics
Knitting, crocheting, embroidering, or sewing
Molding clay or Play-Doh
Art helps externalize feelings that may not have words. Remember, getting craft is not about the end product—it’s about the process of expression.
9. Immerse Yourself in Nature
Nature has a calming presence that doesn’t rush grief. Find a tree, a patch of grass, a bench in a nearby park, or even a local community garden to spend time in. Sit. Breathe. Let the earth hold you and all of your emotions.
One client of mine sought out bodies of water after her daughter died. Whether she was near a river, lake, pond, or ocean, the movement of the light on the water and the sound of it rippling, crashing, or tumbling over rocks brought her peace.
I inverviewed author Cheryl Strayed in 2020 and she told me about her mom’s practice of seeking out beauty in the world. You could play a sort of grief “I Spy” in nature, looking for beautiful plants your loved one might enjoy, seeking out living things that start with each letter of the alphabet, or collecting five pretty things to take a picture of before you head home.
In all seasons, nature reminds us that there is life, death, growth, and healing happening constantly. That’s very grounding when you’r grieving!
10. Watch Shows, Listen to Podcasts, or Read Books About Grief
There is an immense amount of comfort to be found in the stories and experiences of “those who have gone before.” Whether you choose a fictional piece of media or one based in real life, there are countless movies, TV shows, podcasts, books, and articles about grief.
Try searching “grief” on Google, on your streaming service, in your local library’s catalog, or in your favorite podcasts app. I vividly remember getting my first “grief book haul” from the library about two or three years after my mom died. Those first stories made me feel less alone in the world and introduced me to a whole world of grief guides that continue to support me today.
Consider starting with my free podcast Grief Grower, my free blog filled with helpful, practical articles, or my free workshop, which includes three of my clients’ favorite tools for navigating life after loss.
Closing Thoughts: Navigating Grief Does Not Have to Be Expensive or Time-Consuming
Grief looks different for everyone, and while approaches like coaching or therapy can be helpful, many grievers—especially early after a loss—are looking for small, manageable ways to fold grief into their everyday lives.
These comforting, low-cost activities aren’t about avoiding the deep, hard work of grief. They’re about creating moments of presence, connection, comfort, and relief as you figure out how you’d like to carry your unique loss. They can be done in tandem with personal or group grief support or all on their own. The choice is up to you.
If you try one thing from this list, I hope it reminds you: You are worthy of care and tending to, even in your darkest seasons. 💚
