Grieving can be a long and painful process, with psychologists breaking it down into five different stages – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
Writing about your grief can be one way to make sense of your loss, using gratitude prompts to recognize the life of your loved one.
Here are 15 grief journal prompts to help you get started:
1. Write a message to your loved one.
2. What are some of the ways you express your grief?
3. Write about a comforting memory of your loved one.
4. What is one emotion you’ve been feeling a lot lately?
Feeling hopeless and unmotivated is common after a loss – professionals refer to it as Bereavement-Related Depression.
If you’re feeling this way then you should seek medical advice, and share your feelings with those around you.
There are also journal prompts for depression that you can use when writing about your grief.
5. What songs make you think of your loved one?
6. What triggers your grief?
7. Who is part of your support system?
8. How have your priorities changed since your loss?
9. How can you take care of your physical health today?
10. In what ways do you plan to practice self-care this week?
Part of your healing process can be learning to take care of yourself again.
Making time for self-care can be one way to do that.
If you’ve started journaling then you’re already taking positive steps in the right direction. Healing journal prompts are another way to release and process your thoughts.
11. What is the one thing you always want to remember about your loved one?
12. What advice would you give to someone else who has just experienced a loss?
13. Write about ways you could honor the life of your loved one.
14. Write down a healing affirmation to recite each morning.
Reciting positivity affirmations might seem meaningless when you’re grieving.
I know when I lost my dad a few years ago that it can be hard to adopt a positive mindset for a while.
However research into affirmations has shown that it can be powerful for your mental health, and even reduce symptoms of anxiety.
15. If you could forgive yourself for something, what would it be?
Make Sense of Your Feelings
We’re passionate about how journaling can be used to process your thoughts and feelings.
If you want more inspiration take a look at our mental health journal prompts.
Each one is designed to be thought-provoking, helping to organise and calm your mind.
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