Journal prompts
journal prompts for grief
Journal prompts for grief are gentle questions that give your loss somewhere to go: memories you want to keep, things you didn’t get to say, and what the days feel like now. There is no right order and no finish line. Pick whichever prompt you can face today, write as little as you need, and stop whenever you want.
Grief isn’t only about death. These prompts can also hold the loss of a relationship, a place, a version of your life, or a pet. Change the words to fit.
Journaling can help you notice what’s going on, but it isn’t a substitute for professional help. If you’re in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 in the US, or your local emergency number.
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remembering
- 1what’s a small, ordinary thing about them you miss the most?
- 2what did their voice sound like when they were happy?
- 3which story about them do you never want to lose?
- 4what’s something they said that you can still hear?
- 5what did they teach you without meaning to?
- 6which place still feels like them?
- 7what would you want someone who never met them to know?
- 8what made them laugh?
what it’s like now
- 9what does grief feel like today, in your own words?
- 10when does it catch you off guard?
- 11what’s been harder than you expected, and what’s been easier?
- 12what are people saying to you that helps, and what doesn’t?
- 13what do you need right now that you haven’t asked for?
- 14what are you allowed to feel that you’ve been holding back?
- 15how have your sleep, appetite, or energy changed?
talking to them
- 16what do you wish you could tell them about this week?
- 17what would you ask them if you had five more minutes?
- 18what are you sorry about, and what do you think they’d say back?
- 19what do you want to thank them for?
- 20what would they say if they could see you right now?
- 21what’s a question you’ll never get to ask, and how might they have answered?
- 22what do you want them to know you’re doing okay with?
carrying it forward
- 23which part of them shows up in you?
- 24how would you like to honor them this year?
- 25which of their habits or sayings do you want to keep?
- 26what has grief shown you about what matters to you?
- 27who else misses them, and could you share a memory with them?
- 28what would it look like to carry this, instead of getting over it?
- 29what brought you a little comfort this week?
- 30what do you want to remember about how you got through today?
how to use these
- Pick one prompt. Not the best one, just the one that catches.
- Write for five minutes. Set a timer if it helps, and stop when it rings.
- One line is a fine answer. Some days that is the whole entry.
- Don’t edit while you write. Nobody grades this.
- If a prompt doesn’t fit, skip it. Come back in a month and it might.
- Some prompts will be too much on some days. That’s information, not failure. Pick a lighter one.