22 Guided Grief Journaling Prompts

When you’re grieving the loss of someone, life is difficult and thoughts can be hard to process, right? Consider using the following grief journaling prompts as a help guide for loss. Nothing pierces the heart deeper than the loss of a loved one. Whether it be a loss through death or the end of a relationship, this kind of pain is unbearable and one we want to avoid at all costs. 

I’m so thankful that many of you are enjoying our (Hope for Grief: A Grief and Loss Collaboration Series). Today is the seventh post in the series titled 21 Best Grief Journaling Prompts, written by my friend Angela Johnson of Healthy As You Can (HAYC) Enjoy!

However, as much as you want to avoid pain, it is an inevitable pain that touches all at some point. We might be tempted to bottle these torrid emotions so that we can just be numb and not feel anything. 

But in the end, these feelings always bubble back up to the surface and spill out when you least expect or want them to. That’s why it’s so important to face your grief right from the beginning and find healthy ways to cope with them. 

One of the best ways to deal with grief is through grief journaling. 

Today, I’ll be sharing 21 grief journaling prompts that I pray will bring you some comfort and peace as you navigate the rough waters ahead. 

PIN ON YOUR FAVORITE BOARD

What Is A Grief Journal? 

You might be wondering what a grief journal is exactly. A grief journal is a place where you can express your pain without any inhibitions. 

You don’t have to worry about anyone else’s feelings but your own in a grief journal. It’s a safe space for you to pour out your heart and hold nothing back. 

And you don’t have to get a fancy journal either. You can get use a pretty journal but you can also just use a notebook.

You can also use grief journaling printables that you find online and print at home. 

The 5 Stages of Grief

All of us will experience grief in our lives. It is a natural and healthy way to process difficult emotions such as sadness, anger, anxiety, or fear.

The grieving process may look different for everyone but there are some similarities. There are 5-7 stages of grief.

The stages of grief are as follows (although the stages may not happen in this particular order):

Disbelief

You may not believe that the death was real because you still feel hope that your loved one is okay. 

Denial

This is when you may find it hard to accept that the loss has happened.

Bargaining

Bargaining is when you try to negotiate with God that if He brings this person back, you will do something good in return as a thank you for returning your loved one to you.

Guilt

You may feel guilty about anything you have done that contributed to the death of your loved one.

Anger

You may get angry with God, others, or yourself for the death or loss of your loved one. 

Depression

After acknowledging the inevitability of what has happened, you may be overcome with feelings of depression and loss without your loved one.

Acceptance

This is when you have come to accept the loss and know that there’s nothing you can do to change it. You begin to feel hopeful that life can go on and be happy again even though you still miss that person.

As I mentioned before, you may not go through all of these stages in any particular order. 

You may not even go through every stage. But knowing about each possible stage of grief will help you make sense of the emotions that you don’t even understand. 

Did you get mad about a joke someone told but don’t know why? Knowing about the anger stage of grief might illuminate the reasons why something as small as a joke would upset you. 

As you write in your journal, try and pinpoint what stage you think you’re in currently. 

If you’re not sure, pray and ask God to reveal it to you. 

When you know which stage of grief you’re in, you might give yourself more grace and forgiveness if you react in unexpected ways. 

How Does Journaling Help With Grief? 

The grieving process is of course a difficult one and it may seem like something as deceptively simple as journaling wouldn’t help you heal from something of this magnitude but let me assure you…expressing your feelings on paper is a powerful thing.

Let’s briefly explore why that is:

It can help you make meaning out of your experiences

Sometimes you don’t know why a certain conversation or situation will upset you and journaling is a great way to figure it out. 

It allows you to express what you are feeling

When you journal, you can be completely raw with your emotions. When someone asks you how you are, you might be tempted to just say you are fine, even though you aren’t.

But when you’re alone with your journal you don’t have to pretend or wear a mask. You can feel exactly how you feel without worrying about offending or burdening anyone.

Journaling makes you more aware of your emotions

There are many stages of grief so one day you might be sad and another day you might be angry. But you may not always be able to pinpoint exactly which emotion you are feeling.

Journaling can help you focus on the good times you spent with your loved ones. 

Journaling can help you sort out your emotions so you know how best to approach your current emotional state.

It helps you reconnect with yourself, leading to a more fulfilling life overall.

Journaling grief is a powerful way to bring healing to your broken heart which leads to a faith-filled walk with God-fulfilling life.

Grief Recovery Assessment Sheets

Learn To Let Go And Let God Help You Through Your Grief

22 Grief Journaling Prompts To Help You Heal 

Perhaps you’ve been convinced that journaling would help you during this difficult period in your life but staring at a blank white piece of paper is intimidating. 

So here are some grief journaling prompts & ideas of what you can write in your journal: 

Grief Journal Ideas 

1. Write about what you are feeling.
2. Write about why you are grieving.
3. Write about who you’re grieving for.
4. Write about how others have helped you through this difficult time.
5. Write about your memories of the person who has died.
6. Draw a picture of the person who has passed away and write about what it means to you.
7. Write about what made you smile today.
8. Write about a time that you felt God’s Spirit comfort you.
9. Write down songs that remind you of that person and how you feel when you hear them.

Grief Journaling Prompts 

1. I’m angry with God when… 
2. Sounds that remind me of you…
3. What I miss most about you…
4. I cry when…
5. My favorite memory with you is…
6. How grief has changed me…
7. I will honor your memory by…
8. The best advice you gave me was…
9. I wish you could see…
10. The funniest memory I have of you…
11. I pray when…
12. I feel your presence when…
13. Our bond is unbreakable because…

Nicky Johnson is the owner and creator of Healthy As You Can (HAYC) and Christian Blogging Academy (CBA). She is also an author and certified life coach. She started this blog to help support other Christians who want to live a healthy and natural lifestyle but don’t know where to start because it can be oh so confusing. She’s still trying to figure it all out and as she does, she’ll let you know! Nicky offers a grief journal you may find helpful.

Your Turn

I know you are going through a rough time. But I pray that with time, prayer, and healing tools like journaling, you will begin to see that there is light at the end of this dark tunnel. Journaling can be a powerful way to process your sadness and express it safely and privately. So if you’re struggling with the death or loss of a loved one, open up your notebook and use the gift of writing to help you through it.

Hey Friend, Thanks For Reading!

Like this post? Use the icons below to share it!