How to Create a Grief Journal
Posted by: Erin Ward in Grief and Guidance, Memorialization | July 8, 2021
When grieving the loss of a loved one, creating a grief journal is a powerful way to share your thoughts and emotions. Whether you want to recap your day or simply share how you’re feeling, it also can help you feel closer to your loved one and better understand how you cope with loss.
Before you create your journal, we recommend that you answer these three questions:
What’s the Purpose of Your Grief Journal?
Your grief journal can serve whatever purpose you’d like. For example, it could be for sharing memories and stories, documenting your grief journey, updating your loved one about your life, or all the above. Or if you want to get creative with it, you could write poems or songs about your loved one and your grief. Remember that these are just suggestions, and it can be for anything that helps you grieve and honor your loved one.
If you’re not sure where to start, it may help to write some prompts. These can be about your loved one, your grief, or whatever you choose to focus on.
Below are a few prompt ideas to get you started:
- What’s your favorite memory of your loved one?
- What’s on your mind today?
- Share something that made you smile today.
Are You Making Your Grief Journal or Buying One?
Once you know your grief journal’s purpose, it’s time to decide if you’re making or buying one. If you’re buying one, decide if you want a blank slate or something to work with. For example, you can get a blank journal or one with prompts already in it.
If you’re up for a craft project, you can make your own journal! Two ideas are to sew pages together to make a journal or recycle an old book. Or just because you buy your journal, it doesn’t mean that you can’t personalize it. Add photos, stickers, and any other decorations to the cover to make it your own.
When Will You Write in Your Grief Journal?
The last thing to decide is when you will write in your grief journal. It can help you stick to it if you pick a certain day and/or time. If you don’t want a huge time commitment, you could write in it once a day when you wake up or before you go to sleep. Or you can just write when something comes to mind.
Also, don’t forget to consider where you write. Choose somewhere comfortable like your living room or outside in a hammock.
If you take anything away from this article, remember that it’s your journal, your rules! What you write in it and how often is up to you. This article simply gives advice, but ultimately, you should choose what’s best for you and your grief.
Have you created a grief journal? Share your tips in the comments!
1 Comment
Cathy
January 1
Steven Trevor Hartless. Is and will always be the love of my life. He left me to soon but he's in my heart and will be forever. It's been almost a year but it doesn't get any easier. I know he's not suffering anymore but he wasn't ready to leave this world. I know he's watching over me and always will. I just want to know that he's not suffering. I would give anything to see him if for only a minute. He was a man of all men. Caring, loving and giving man. He was one of a kind. To know him was to love him. I will always remember the good times and the bad . Always love you!
Cathy
.