For those of us coping with loss and healing from grief, journaling is a powerful tool. Here is a list of 50 grief journal prompts we can use to help us cope.
Whether written or spoken, words hold an amazing power when it comes to healing from a loss. By talking (or writing) about our loved one, or about our grief and how it affects us every day, our hearts heal a little bit more.
The prompts below are placed into the following categories: memories, qualities (of our loved ones), future plans, and our lives right now. As I sat down to write this list of grief journal prompts, it was natural for me to write them as if I were talking to my husband. (If you would like your journal to be about your loved one, instead of to them, see the alternate list below.)
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Memories of our loved ones hold the power to make us laugh or cry. Below are 21 grief journal prompts that help us sort through our memories, and remember the good times.
Grief Journal Prompts: Memories
Today I remembered…
My favorite thing we used to do together…
I remember your favorite movie…
The first time we met…
The things I miss most…
One thing you did that made me laugh…
How I felt when I was around you…
The little things that meant a lot…
Our favorite place…
Everyday memories…
A color that makes me think of you…
One thing that made you mad…
This memory always makes me smile…
A random memory that made me stop…
A memory that always makes me cry…
Things you loved…
Things you hated…
A smell that makes me think of you…
I listened to your favorite song…
Your memories stay with me…
If I could go back in time…
When I think about my own husband, I remember his good qualities: his sense of humor, his ability to work hard, and his kindness. What do you remember about your loved one’s best qualities?
Grief Journal Prompts: Qualities
If I could sum you up in three words…
Your best quality…
Your worst quality…
How knowing you changed my life…
Ten words that best describe you…
My favorite quote that sums you up…
One thing you taught me about myself…
It’s important not to get stuck in our grief. In the Ted Talk The Cure for Grief Norah Casey talks about how she needed ‘Forward Motion’ after her husband died. She needed a new future plan.
Below are seven grief journal prompts that can help us set new goals, and develop our future path.
Grief Journal Prompts: My future plans
If I could change one thing, it would be…
Since you are gone, I’m going to…
My ‘forward motion’ plan for today…
My ‘forward motion’ plan for this week…
My ‘forward motion’ plan for this month…
My ‘forward motion’ plan for this year…
I will depend on…
After you’ve been journaling for a while, you will be able to look back through the entries and see the progress you’ve made along your journey. That’s why I’ve included the list below: to describe how you are coping at this moment in time.
Grief Journal Prompts: My Life Right Now
How things have changed…
How I feel today…
When I wake up in the morning…
I had a dream about you…
When I do this I think of you…
If I could tell you one thing…
A tradition that helps me remember…
I wish someone would say…
How I’m healing every day…
If I could change one thing…
My support system is…
How loving you has changed me…
How losing you has changed me…
How I will continue coping every day…
I know I’m going to be okay because…
Here is a free printable list of these prompts:
To My Love: 50 Grief Journal Prompts
For My Husband: 50 Grief Journal Prompts
You might also like to read: Using Words to Heal Grief
My husband just recently lost his grandmother. They were very close and he is having a very hard time. I can’t wait to show him this post.
I’m so sorry for his loss. Keeping a journal really helped me cope. I wish him peace.
These are great prompts. Journaling in general is good, but journaling about grief can help you heal!
It really can. I’m proof! Thanks for reading, and I hope it helped.
These are really good prompts, and great job writing on a taboo subject that we all need more often than we’d like to admit. I pinned this for future reference.
I began writing to my husband 21 months ago – 2 weeks after he passed. I now have a word file of over 40 pages – size 10 font. I have used many of these prompts but I see a few on this list that I will add to my written “conversation” with him. Thank you !
I’m so sorry for your loss. That sounds like a wonderful way to cope and grieve for your husband. My thoughts are with you!