Grief journal prompts: free, gentle prompts to write through a loss

Do grief journal prompts help?

We don't know of a trial of these prompts, and journaling is not a treatment for grief. The prompts are ours. They're built to be small, skippable and free of any set stages.

The research on writing about a hard experience is mixed. In a 2000 randomised study by Range, Kovac and Marion, 64 undergraduates who had lost a loved one to an accidental death or a homicide began a writing project (44 completed it), writing for 15 minutes a day over four days about their bereavement or about neutral topics. Both groups improved by a six-week follow-up and the abstract reports no overall difference between them. The bereavement-writing group reported less subjective distress on days 1 to 3. A 2006 meta-analysis by Mogk and colleagues combined the results of 30 trials of writing about stressful experiences and found no significant effects overall on physical or psychological health measures. These studies used a different technique from our one-line prompts and a specific type of loss, so they can't say how these prompts will go for you.

The NHS's guidance on grief shapes the rest. It says there's no right or wrong way to feel, that you may not go through all of the stages of grief or in order, and that talking to someone can help. If you'd like to go through a structured set of exercises instead, see the grief worksheet.

These are educational self-reflection tools, not therapy. See our editorial standards.

If you want to go deeper

• NHS. Grief after bereavement or loss (nhs.uk).
• Cruse Bereavement Support. Helpline (cruse.org.uk/get-support/helpline).
• Range, L. M., Kovac, S. H. & Marion, M. S. (2000). Does writing about the bereavement lessen grief following sudden, unintentional death? Death Studies, 24(2), 115-134.
• Mogk, C., Otte, S., Reinhold-Hurley, B. & Kroner-Herwig, B. (2006). Health effects of expressive writing on stressful or traumatic experiences: a meta-analysis. Psycho-Social Medicine, 3, Doc06.

Your questions, answered

What are grief journal prompts?

They are short questions or starting lines that help you write about a loss when you don't know where to begin. A good prompt points to one small, answerable thing, such as a memory, a feeling in your body, or something you wish you'd said, instead of asking you to 'process everything'.

What should I write in a grief journal?

Whatever is true today. It could be a memory, a list of what you miss, a letter to the person who died, or a plain description of how the day went. There's no right way. The NHS says there's no right or wrong way to feel, and a journal can hold anger and guilt as well as love and longing.

Does journaling help with grief?

It might give you somewhere to put your thoughts, but we can't promise it helps. In a small randomised study of 64 students bereaved by an accidental death or a homicide (44 finished), writing about the bereavement for 15 minutes a day over four days did no better by six weeks than writing about trivial topics, though both groups improved. A 2006 review that combined the results of 30 trials of writing about stressful experiences found no significant effects overall on health measures. If your grief feels too heavy, the NHS lists talking to someone as something that can help, and a GP or the Cruse helpline are good places to start.

What if writing about my loss makes me feel worse?

Stop. You don't have to keep going, and you can try again another day or leave it. Do something that steadies you, such as a drink, fresh air or a call to someone. If it keeps happening, or you feel unsafe, speak to your GP, ring the Cruse helpline on 0808 808 1677 (UK) or call Samaritans on 116 123. In the US, call or text 988.

Are there stages of grief I should be journaling through?

No. The NHS describes five stages (denial, anger, depression, bargaining and acceptance, in no set order) and says you may not go through all of them, or in order. These prompts don't follow any stages, so use them in any order.

Is this free, and is it a substitute for support?

It's free to fill in online or print, with no payment and no email needed. It is an educational self-reflection tool, not therapy or medical advice. For grief support in the UK, the Cruse helpline is on 0808 808 1677 (free; hours at cruse.org.uk). You can also speak to your GP. Our helplines page lists more.

Keep going, related worksheets

Grief

Grief Worksheet

A free, gentle grief worksheet for after a bereavement: write about who you miss, what you feel and what helps today. No stages, no timetable. Free PDF.

Open worksheet→

Self-awareness

Self-Reflection Worksheet

A free, printable self-reflection worksheet: take one experience through Gibbs' reflective cycle, find your next step and keep a 10-minute weekly log.

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Self-awareness

Feelings Wheel

A free printable feelings wheel (emotion wheel) PDF: six core feelings and 36 more precise words, with a daily check-in and a week log to name what you feel.

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