How do you usually deal with your feelings? First of all, you need to identify and acknowledge your feelings, whether they are happy, angry, fearful or sad, you have to be honest with yourself. Some people choose to vent their inner emotions through exercise, others choose to talk to friends or do yoga, or meditation. You can also create art and so on.
When you lose a family member or a loved one, you are overwhelmed by a tremendous amount of hurt. Maybe you prefer to be alone than to tell your friends about the pain, or maybe you're not ready to talk about all that has happened. Keeping a grief journal is a great way to heal yourself and can go a long way toward improving your mental health. If you don't control your emotions, your emotions will eventually take control of you, which is a recipe for disaster. During the last three years of the COVID-19 epidemic, most of the people died due to the disease and the rest faced the pain of losing their loved ones. More and more people who were unable to deal with their suffering began to fall into depression. The control of the epidemic prevented them from seeing their loved ones and from going out freely. Keeping a grief journal became a way for most people to deal with their inner emotions.
Benefits of writing the grief journal
Keeping a grief journal can help us recognize our emotions so that we can better understand our needs. When you are overwhelmed, you feel unable to take any action and a record of your emotions can help you find the best way to cope.
Journaling provides us with a way to vent our grief. By writing in a journal, we share our deepest feelings and rebuild our confidence and hope for the future in the midst of ongoing brokenness.
Keeping a grief journal helps us preserve the memories of our loved ones and it is an alternative way of writing letters. Unlike the traditional way of sending a letter, the recipient does not see the words you write.
Keeping a grief journal helps us find hope in life. When negativity takes over, you can't help but struggle through it. In this state, it is almost impossible for us to stay positive. This is where emotional journaling comes into play. The more you write, the more control you have over your emotions and the less stress you experience. And stress can lead to a breeding ground for negative emotions. Journaling provides an opportunity for emotional catharsis, which in turn helps your brain regulate your emotions.
Related: Get Back on Your Feet After Losing Loved One
Research has found that directed writing with writing prompts that focus on meaning reconstruction is more helpful than grief journaling that focuses on emotions. Most grievers express their emotions better with the help of writing prompts and achieve emotional improvement and physical improvement. If you are trying to write a grief journal for the first time and don't know how to get started. In this article, we collected some JOURNAL TIPS and JOURNAL PROMPS that can help you write what you need to share so you can focus on participating in therapy.
Journaling tips
Don't try to wait for an opportunity to write, when your emotions are out of control and you don't have a good way to relieve you, pick up a pen and write, don't hesitate.
Don't think deeply and don't try to fix your writing style with rigorous logic. Keeping a grief journal is a free expression intended to record the emotions in your heart. Your emotions will fluctuate with what you write, allow yourself to mourn.
If you pause halfway through writing, you don't have to rewrite at all. You can go do something else and just write on next time. This is not an argumentative essay, you don't need to start and finish.
Write whatever comes to mind. Write often and write without thinking about proper grammar or correct spelling.
In addition to writing, you can also purchase some watercolors, and stickers, and make a MEMORIAL PAGE.
You don't need to keep a diary every day, you can't completely rely on it to relieve your mind of its bitterness. Try to talk to your friends to get out of your inner gloom.
Journal prompts can be a helpful way to guide your writing and exploration of your grief. Here are some journal prompts specifically designed for a grief journal:
Journal Prompts
What are you feeling right now? Describe your current emotions and their intensity.
Share a favorite memory of your loved one. Write about a specific moment that brings you joy or comfort.
What do you miss most about the person you've lost? Reflect on the qualities, experiences, or aspects of their presence that you long for.
Write a letter to your loved one. Address them directly and express your thoughts and feelings, even if you can't send the letter.
What has surprised you about your grief journey so far? Explore any unexpected emotions or experiences.
How has your relationship with others changed since your loss? Consider how your grief has impacted your relationships with family, friends, or colleagues.
What rituals or traditions help you remember and honor your loved one? Describe any meaningful practices you've adopted.
What do you wish you had said or done differently with your loved one? Reflect on any regrets or unresolved issues.
How has your sense of identity or purpose been affected by your loss? Explore how your grief has shaped your self-identity and life goals.
Describe a time when you felt a brief moment of relief or distraction from your grief. What triggered this moment, and how did it make you feel?
Write about the things that provide you with comfort during times of intense grief. It could be a place, a person, a routine, or an activity.
What questions about life and death are you grappling with? Share any philosophical or existential questions that have arisen.
How do you take care of yourself physically and emotionally during difficult moments of grief? Describe self-care practices that have been helpful.
What support systems have you found most valuable in your grief journey? Reflect on the people, resources, or communities that have been supportive.
Write about your dreams or recurring thoughts related to your loved one. Explore what your subconscious is telling you.
What are your hopes and fears for the future? Share your aspirations and concerns as you move forward in life without your loved one.
Consider your loved one's legacy. Write about the impact they had on the world or the people around them.
How has your perspective on life and its meaning changed since your loss? Explore any shifts in your worldview.
Describe any signs or symbols that make you feel connected to your loved one. These could be meaningful objects, events, or occurrences.
Reflect on the progress you've made in your grief journey. How have you changed or grown since the early days of your loss?
These prompts are meant to guide your journaling and self-reflection as you navigate the grief journey. Feel free to use the ones that resonate with you, and remember that there is no right or wrong way to process your grief. Journaling can be a valuable tool for healing and understanding your emotions during this difficult time. Except for writing the grief journal, an urn necklace for ashes is a heartful way to memorize your deceased loved one. The cremation urn necklace is designed to preserve a small amount of cremated ashes or hail, you can even put a photo inside it, if you have a urn pendant.
