Healing after Heartbreak Series: How Grief Became My Greatest Teacher
From Heartbreak to Healing
My Personal Journey with Grief
Grief is something we all encounter at some point in life. It is the undercurrent of every loss—whether it’s the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, or even the quiet sorrow of unfulfilled dreams. But for a long time, I didn’t realize how much grief was shaping me.
Like many, I once saw grief as something to endure, something to “get over.” But over the years, through personal loss and heartbreak, I began to understand that grief isn’t something to conquer—it’s something to befriend, listen to, and move through with intention.
How Grief Shaped Me
My relationship with grief deepened after experiencing profound loss—not just through the death of loved ones, but also through heartbreak, transitions, and the shedding of old identities. Each experience opened me up to deeper layers of sorrow but also to a more expansive sense of love, resilience, and wisdom.
Heartbreak taught me that grief isn’t just about losing a person—it’s about losing the version of yourself that existed in that relationship. I had to mourn the dreams, the future I had envisioned, and even the parts of me that were tied to that love.
Loss through death showed me that grief isn’t linear. It moves in waves, appearing when you least expect it. But it also revealed something sacred—grief is love with nowhere to go. The pain we feel is a testament to the depth of our love.
Why I Created This Series
Through my own journey, I found healing in embracing grief rather than resisting it. It led me to study grief in depth—through personal exploration, spiritual practice, and the teachings of mentors like Francis Weller. His work on the Five Gates of Grief gave me a framework to understand, honor, and work with grief as a transformative force.
This is why I created the Healing after Heartbreak newsletter series—so that you don’t have to navigate grief alone. Whether you are mourning a relationship, a loved one, or simply the loss of who you once were, this space is here to guide you through the process with understanding, compassion, and tools for healing.
What to Expect in the Weeks Ahead
Each week, we will explore different aspects of grief—why we grieve, how heartbreak is connected to deeper losses, and how we can transform pain into wisdom. You’ll receive:
✅ Reflections & Teachings on the many layers of grief
✅ Journal Prompts & Questions to help you process your emotions
✅ Guided Meditations & Healing Practices to navigate grief with grace
✅ Personal Stories & Insights from my own journey
Next week, we begin with “The Five Gates of Grief: Understanding Loss in Love”—a powerful exploration of the different ways grief enters our lives and how heartbreak can reveal deeper wounds.
A Reflection for You Today
Before we begin, I invite you to sit with this question:
💭 What loss—big or small—has shaped me the most?
You don’t have to have the answer right away. Simply allow yourself to notice what arises. Grief is a teacher, and together, we will learn how to listen.
With care,
Sanaa
P.S. If you’d like to go deeper into your own healing journey, I invite you to explore my Healing After Heartbreak: An 8-Week Guided Journal—a guided space for processing grief, heartbreak, and personal transformation. You can find it here: Journal