What should I write when grieving?

Start with one honest sentence: what you miss, what you wish you'd said, or what today was like. There's no right content — research on expressive writing suggests that putting feelings into words, even briefly, helps process them.

How does journaling help with grief?

Grief often circles as raw, wordless feeling. Writing turns it into a story with a beginning — which lets the memory begin to settle instead of ambush. It also gives the relationship with the person who died somewhere to continue.

What if writing makes me feel worse?

Some days it will — grief comes in waves. If a prompt is too much today, close the page and try a gentler one (a memory, a small kindness) or skip journaling entirely. If writing consistently leaves you flooded or hopeless, bring it to a grief counselor.

For-clients library

For clients · journaling practice

A grief journal, one line at a time

After a loss, a blank page can feel impossible. Pick a prompt below and write one honest sentence — that's a complete entry.

Pick a prompt for today

What I wish I could still tell them…

Saved on this device only — never sent anywhere.

Why this helps

Grief often circles as raw, wordless feeling. Writing turns it into language — and language gives the loss a beginning, middle, and edge. You're not writing for an audience. You're giving the wave somewhere to go.

Grief comes in waves, not stages

There's no order you're supposed to feel things in, and no deadline. Some prompts will feel impossible on some days — skip them. If grief has been flooding most days for months, or life feels unbearable, a grief counselor can walk beside you. In the US, you can call or text 988 any time.

Nothing you tap here is saved or sent anywhere. This page is free to use and share — therapists often send it to clients between sessions.