Begin by setting aside a quiet, comfortable space where you can write without interruption. Use the prompts to gently explore your feelings, allowing yourself to express whatever arises without judgment. Start with simple reflections, such as recalling memories or describing your emotions, then gradually move to deeper questions about your experience and healing process. Write freely, knowing there is no right or wrong way to respond. If emotions become overwhelming, pause and return when you feel ready. Revisit prompts over time to notice changes in your thoughts and feelings, and consider combining journaling with other self-care practices to support your journey through grief.

Read more tips on how to start and keep a journaling practice that can guide your wellness and personal growth.

Journaling about grief offers a private way to externalize painful memories and feelings, organize fragmented thoughts, and build a coherent narrative that supports meaning‑making and reduced rumination; over time those records also help you track shifts in mood, triggers, and healing. Research on expressive writing—beginning with Pennebaker’s work and supported by subsequent meta‑analyses—shows that reflective writing can reduce depressive symptoms and intrusive thoughts and is linked in some studies to lower physiological stress and improved health outcomes, and several grief‑focused studies report similar benefits for processing loss and adjusting to changed roles and relationships.

Learn about the science-backed benefits of journaling along with primary sources.