30 Journal Prompts for Grief

Remembering

1. 1.What is a favorite memory you have of the person or thing you lost?
2. 2.What did their voice, laugh, or presence feel like?
3. 3.What is something they used to say that still echoes in your head?
4. 4.What did they teach you, on purpose or by accident?
5. 5.What is a small, ordinary moment with them that you treasure?
6. 6.What would you want other people to know about them?

Feeling the loss

1. 7.What does your grief feel like today?
2. 8.When does the loss hit you hardest: certain times, places, or routines?
3. 9.What feelings besides sadness have come up, like anger, guilt, relief, or numbness?
4. 10.What has been the hardest part to accept?
5. 11.What do you miss most right now?
6. 12.What do you wish people understood about your grief?

Things left unsaid

1. 13.Write a letter to them telling them about your week.
2. 14.What do you wish you had said or asked before they were gone?
3. 15.Is there anything you need to forgive them for, or yourself for?
4. 16.What would you want to thank them for?
5. 17.If they could see you now, what do you think they would say?
6. 18.What question would you ask them if you had one more conversation?

Getting through the days

1. 19.What has helped you get through the hardest moments so far?
2. 20.Who has shown up for you, and who do you wish would?
3. 21.What small comfort can you give yourself today?
4. 22.How are you sleeping and eating, and what support might you need?
5. 23.What are you finding difficult to do that used to be easy?
6. 24.How can you be patient with yourself on days the grief comes back strong?

Carrying them with you

1. 25.How do you want to keep their memory alive?
2. 26.What part of them do you see in yourself?
3. 27.What tradition or ritual could you create to honor them?
4. 28.How has this loss changed what matters to you?
5. 29.What would it look like to hold your grief and still let joy in sometimes?
6. 30.What do you want to remember about this season of grieving years from now?

Tips that make it stick

• •Grief can come with surprising feelings, like guilt, relief, or anger. Naming each one plainly, without judging it, can make it easier to carry.
• •Journaling can support you through grief, but you do not have to do it alone. Grief counselors and support groups can help, especially if the weight is not easing over time.
• •Anniversaries and holidays can bring grief back. Plan a prompt or ritual for those days in advance.
• •Let your entries be messy. Grief is not tidy, and your journal does not need to be.

Related feelings