20 Helpful Journaling Prompts For Grief

Journaling about grief provides a safe and private space to express emotions openly and honestly. It allows you to release pent-up feelings of sorrow, anger, guilt, or confusion without fear of judgment. The act of putting thoughts and emotions onto paper can bring a sense of relief and catharsis, allowing for emotional processing and healing.

Writing about grief encourages self-reflection and introspection. By recounting memories, exploring thoughts, and examining one's own emotions, grief journaling helps you gain a deeper understanding of your own unique grief journey. It can provide clarity and insights into your feelings and reactions, fostering self-awareness and personal growth. 

Through journaling, you can commemorate your lost loved ones by documenting cherished memories, anecdotes, and lessons learned from your relationship. Writing about the positive aspects of the person's life can help shift the focus from the pain of loss to celebrating their legacy. This act of remembrance and honoring can be incredibly therapeutic and comforting.

While you’re dealing with grief, life may feel chaotic and unpredictable. Grief journaling offers a sense of control and structure by providing a routine and a consistent outlet for expression. It allows you to make sense of your emotions and experiences, creating a sense of order amidst the turmoil. 

Sharing journal entries with trusted friends, family members, or support groups can provide a sense of validation and support. Opening up about your grief through writing can foster connection and empathy with others who have experienced similar losses. It can create a supportive community where you feel heard and understood.

Journaling can be a therapeutic act for both adults and children. A grieving journal is a safe space where you can write anything without fear of prying eyes. Children and teens may find it especially difficult to share their emotions with other people. Journaling gives them an outlet for their emotions without having to share them with others. Additionally, grief journaling doesn’t have to be written thoughts. Journaling can also be used for drawing pictures and images instead.

Reflecting on a cherished memory can help evoke positive emotions and bring comfort during the grieving process. Writing about these memories can serve to honor and remember your loved one. You can reflect on these memories and feel grateful for the time you had with them. 

Remembering the good times you shared evokes feelings of love and happiness, which can be comforting during the grieving process. Keeping these special memories at the forefront of your mind can help you feel closer to your deceased loved one.

Addressing a letter to your loved one gives you an opportunity to express your feelings, thoughts, and emotions that you may not have had a chance to share. This can be a cathartic and healing exercise for coping with grief. Write a letter to your loved one as if they can read it. You may even wish to believe that somehow, some way, they are able to read it. 

Write in your letter whatever you want to say to them. You can write about how much you miss them or about the changes in your life since they passed. You can write them an apology for things you did or didn’t do or any regrets you may have. You can also write about what you are angry at them for or what you wished they had or hadn’t done while they were alive.

Acknowledging the specific aspects of your loved one that you miss can help you process your grief. Identifying and writing down these things can validate your emotions and provide a space for reflection. While memories can stir up feelings of longing for their presence, it’s better to miss your loved one than repress your feelings of sadness. 

Repressed feelings often manifest in other, usually self-destructive ways. Writing about feelings of longing for your loved one is better for coping with grief in a healthy way. It allows you to put your thoughts and feelings on paper, rather than push them to far corners of your mind. Dealing with grief up front like this helps you process your sadness in a timelier manner. 

Write about the ways your loved one influenced, inspired, or shaped your life. Reflect on the lessons they taught you, the values they instilled, or the positive changes they brought into your world. Reflecting on the ways in which your loved one impacted your life helps you to remember that their life was worthwhile. No matter how long they had on Earth, they changed your world for the better. 

Acknowledging the impact they had on your life and the lives of others around them is a great way to honor their memory. It helps you understand that while your loved one is no longer with you, their legacy remains. Their kindness and strength live on and is reflected in the lives of the people they left behind.

This grief journal prompt allows you to explore the unfulfilled dreams or aspirations you shared with your loved one. Writing about these hopes and plans can help you process the grief of lost possibilities. Coping with grief is not only dealing with the loss of your loved one, but with the loss of the future you imagined. 

Though it may be painful to write about these lost hopes for the future, it can also be healing. Writing down feelings and emotions associated with your grief for the future you’ve lost can be a release. It helps you come to terms with your reality and finally accept your fate. Once you can let go of the future you’ve lost, you can begin planning a new future.

Grief is a fluid journey, and it can change over time. Writing about the different stages and emotions you have experienced can provide insights into your healing process and help you identify patterns or progress. Start by writing down how you felt at the beginning of your journey. Maybe you felt overwhelmed with emotion or felt numb in shock. Maybe you found it difficult to get out of bed in the morning or couldn’t go a day without crying. 

Next, write down how you are coping with your grief now. Maybe you are still sad (understandably) but have found it easier to go about your daily routine. Maybe you were in denial of your situation at first but are now moving towards acceptance. Writing about your evolving grief journey can help you see how far you’ve come. It can help you understand that with time, all wounds will heal.

Expressing gratitude for the people, resources, or acts of kindness that have supported you during your grieving process can cultivate a sense of appreciation and help shift focus from pain to healing. It can help you remember that you are not alone and that others are there to help you. Oftentimes grief can make us feel as if life isn’t worth living without our deceased loved one. 

However, life goes on and there are many wonderful people in your life who are worth living for. Feeling grateful for these people is one way to remind yourself of the goodness left in the world. It helps you focus on the positive aspects of your life and what you have rather than what you lost.

Exploring the strategies or activities that have provided solace during difficult times can offer insights into what works for you personally. Writing about these coping mechanisms can serve as a reminder and source of comfort. You can refer back to this journal entry when you are having a hard time coping with grief on any particular day. 

Reading your journal entry can remind you of what has worked in the past and what may be worth trying now. It can also serve as a good way to document your coping experiences so you can share them with others in the future who might find them helpful. 

Write about how you plan to navigate significant events, such as birthdays or holidays, without your loved one. This prompt allows you to explore the emotions and challenges you will experience on these special days. It can help you to prepare for these feelings ahead of time so that you are not blindsided by your grief. Having coping strategies put in place beforehand can make navigating these situations a little easier. 

For example, you could plan to hang out with friends on your birthday, so you feel less alone without your loved one there. You could also consider having special keepsake jewelry, such as photo engraved jewelry, made so that you can be wearing it on these special days and holidays. Having a physical and visual reminder of your loved one can feel comforting in moments when you wish they were by your side.

Grief can be accompanied by self-blame or feelings of guilt. Writing a compassionate letter to yourself can help foster self-acceptance, understanding, and provide reassurance during challenging times. You should be your own best friend, but sometimes we are our own worst enemy. It’s very common to drown ourselves in guilt or shame while grieving. You may be subconsciously beating yourself down, making healing harder. 

Writing a compassionate letter to yourself can be a way to make peace with yourself. Accept that we all make mistakes and that that’s okay. You are not perfect, and neither is anybody. Write a letter of forgiveness to yourself for how hard you have been on yourself. Encourage yourself to love who you are and move forward with a clear conscience.

Consider how you can honor your loved one's memory and continue their legacy in your own life. What actions can you take to keep the memory of your loved one alive? For example, you could start a memory garden and plant their favorite tree or flowers. You can take care of your garden every day and watch it grow. When you look at your growing garden, you will be reminded of your loved one. Starting a memory garden is a way to feel actively involved in honoring your loved one’s memory. 

Another idea could be to have thumbprint jewelry made from your loved one’s thumbprint. Thumbprint jewelry for grieving is a special way to honor your loved one by memorializing the most unique part of them, their thumbprint. You can carry your jewelry with you wherever you go to keep their memory close. Writing down different ways you can honor your loved one’s memory can help you feel as if you are playing a more active role in coping with your loss. 

Art and music can evoke deep emotions and serve as expressions of grief. Writing about a specific song, poem, or artwork that captures your feelings can provide an outlet for expression and healing. Think about a piece of artwork that resonates with your grief experience. 

You can analyze the artwork and write about how different aspects of the artwork relate to your life and your grief. It can be an interesting way to delve deeper into your grief and start your healing journey.

Grief can offer valuable insights and wisdom. Reflect on the lessons you have gained through your journey, including personal growth, resilience, or newfound perspectives on life. Reflecting on this experience can help you to understand that there is good to come from everything. 

Every life experience is a lesson you can learn from. The resilience and strength you gain from overcoming your grief will help you to overcome challenges and obstacles in the future. Consider how far you’ve come in your grief journey and what you have gotten or will get out of it. This can help remind you just how strong and persevering you are.

Writing about the rituals or tributes you have established to commemorate your loved one can provide a sense of connection and help you find solace in the act of remembrance. Maybe you started a charity foundation for a cause they felt strongly about. Maybe you created a yearly walk-athon or memorial race in their honor. 

Your ritual could also be as simple as saying a prayer for them every morning or creating a piece of cremation jewelry and wearing it every day. By wearing your cremation jewelry, you are keeping a part of them with you always so they will never be forgotten. Identifying these new rituals and tributes can help you feel good about your part in paying respect to your loved one’s memory.

Acknowledging the challenges and difficult moments can be cathartic. Write about a specific memory or experience that has been particularly challenging and explore your emotions and thoughts surrounding it. 

Use this grief journal prompt to vent out your frustrations. Sometimes it is difficult to “look on the bright side.” Sometimes you just want to scream, cry, and feel sorry for yourself. There is no shame in admitting this, especially in a grieving journal.

Identify and list self-care practices that offer solace during moments of grief. This can include activities such as meditation, reading, going for walks, or engaging in hobbies that bring you joy. Remind yourself of all the ways in which you can still find joy. 

There is nothing wrong with taking care of yourself, even while grieving. You deserve to have moments of happiness, even when you are missing your loved one. Consider all the things you can do to feel better and make a point to incorporate them into your daily life as much as possible. 

Dreams and visitation experiences can provide a sense of connection and comfort. Write about any dream or even religious experience you may have had since your loved one’s passing. Describe this dream or experience in detail. What did you see, feel, and hear? Did you gain any new insight from this dream or experience? 

Was the dream or visitation comforting or did it make you more worrisome? If this dream or experience left you feeling more worried or upset, analyze why that may be. It may be that you have some unresolved feelings you need to work out to heal. Consider what these feelings might be and write them down. 

Use this grief writing prompt as an opportunity to remember your loved one and think about all the special things about them. Write down a list of their characteristics such as, physical characteristics, their likes and dislikes, dreams they may have had, or little quirks that only you noticed. Writing these things down will help you keep your loved one’s memory fresh in your mind and will help you appreciate them more. 

While concentrating on your loved one’s characteristics, you may remember certain things you had forgotten, like the way they used to chew their food or wiggle their toes right before bed. Remembering these things can bring a smile to your face and put joy in your heart. Both of which are more than enough reason to do this grief journal prompt.

Death can come unexpectedly and there is never enough time spent with the ones we loved. Sometimes our loved ones leave us before we have had time to settle disagreements or disputes. Oftentimes we feel guilty for things we never got to apologize for but sometimes, it can be the other way around. Sometimes our loved one’s leave us before they have time to make amends. 

You may still feel anger for your loved one for something they did in the past, but also feel guilty for being angry with them now that they’re gone. This can be a vicious cycle that can leave you feeling overwhelmed with emotion and make coping with grief more difficult. Use this writing prompt to make amends with your loved one and forgive them so that you can move on. 

If you know someone else who is grieving, brainstorm ways that you can help them. Being of service to others is not only good to the wellbeing of others, but it can be good for you also. Think of ways you can help another going through a tough time with their grief.

Offer support and suggestions from your own experiences or simply be there to lend an ear. Helping others can help take your mind off your own pain, which can be a temporary relief during your grief journey.