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The Guided Grief Journal
196 journaling prompts for grief
Journaling prompts for grief, are your private companions for healing, reflection, and finding peace after loss
Grief is deeply personal. It doesn’t follow a timeline, and there’s no one-size-fits-all guide to healing.
But sometimes, a quiet prompt or thoughtful question can open a path forward to greater happiness.
The Guided Grief Journal is a beautifully crafted self help tool designed to support you, whether you’re in the early days of loss or returning to moments of remembrance long after the event has passed.
With 196 reflective prompts, these journaling prompts for grief offer wide ranging emotional support through every stage of loss.
From the disorientation of early grief to the gradual shaping of a new chapter, the prompts guide you through:
Remembering and honouring the person you've lost
Processing the experience of loss and how it’s changed you
Checking in with your emotional and mental wellbeing
Navigating night-time thoughts and quiet moments of reflection
Letting go of what no longer serves, while holding on to what matters
Cultivating self-compassion and giving yourself a bit of understanding
Reconnecting with your identity and who you are now
Finding meaning in your life after loss
Gently beginning to imagine a future again
Each prompt is intentionally crafted, not just to explore memory and emotion, but to bring some shape and clarity to the unspoken, often overwhelming world of grief.
Why this journal matters
Many people don’t know where to begin when it comes to grief.
The feelings are too big. The silence too heavy. Words are often hard to find.
This journal offers a compassionate starting point.
It brings gentle structure to your feelings, helping you sort through your thoughts in a way that’s both supportive and private.
There are no rules, no expectations, just an unobtrusive invitation to be honest with yourself and honour your feelings and awhat you're going through.
Whether you’re writing every day, or returning to the pages during moments of remembrance, The Guided Grief Journal meets you where you are.
Who this journal is for
- anyone grieving a personal loss either recent or long ago
- those seeking a private, introspective way to process and reflect
- people who want to do something with their feelings but don't know where to begin
- therapists, counsellors or carers offering their support to others
- thoughtful gift givers looking to offer something beyond flowers and cards
Thoughtfully designed
- 196 curated prompts, grouped across emotional and thematic stages of grief
- elegant, calming layout with plenty of space to write, reflect, pause, feel
- a soft matte but robust hard back cover with a timeless design designed for handling gently over time
- a portable size 6 x 9 '' perfect for your bedside table, bag or a corner of your bookcase
Why journaling prompts for grief?
Someone said to me at the time,
"it's a bit selfish to keep this to yourself, when you could help others in the same boat"
This wasn’t designed as a product. It began as something I created for myself.
After losing my mum, I wanted to journal through it, but I didn’t know where to begin.
I also knew, to begin I wanted some journaling prompts for grief but couldn't really find what I needed.
Everything felt too big, and too unstructured or just a bit naff to be honest.
I couldn’t find anything that truly helped me work through my thoughts in a meaningful way to me so I had to find another way.
That’s when I first created my Simple Grief Journal, a gentle, repetitive 6 week guide to help form the habit of journaling.
It was perfect for getting started. But with time, I needed more.
I wanted some more questions but with a logical progression down a path, a more flexible structure, something I could pick up and put down without pressure, but that would still support me as I navigated the more complex stages of grief.
I searched, but I couldn’t find what I was looking for, nothing fitted, so as is often cited as a precursor to products on the market so, I made it myself.
The Guided Grief Journal is the result.
A gentle, honest companion for anyone trying to process grief in their own way, who wants to have prompts to guide them in a flexible but structured way too.
I made it for myself, but now it’s here for you too. I sincerely hope it helps you.
FAQ: how to use the guided grief journal
There’s no single “right” way to use The Guided Grief Journal and that’s intentional.
Grief isn’t linear, and this journal is designed to work with that.
You might choose to:
- Write one prompt a day during quiet mornings or evenings
- Use it weekly as a reflective ritual
- Pick it up only when you feel called to write, perhaps during anniversaries, holidays, or moments of emotional overwhelm
- Skip prompts that don’t feel relevant, and return to others more than once
You’re in charge. Whether you write one line or three pages, every word you put down is part of your healing.
Is there a timeline for this journal?
No. The Guided Grief Journal is completely open ended.
Your journaling prompt for grief designed to support you over months or even years, with no pressure to finish or follow a sequence.
Some people find comfort in starting from the beginning and working their way through.
Others dip in and out, letting the prompts meet them wherever they happen to be emotionally at the time.
There is no rush.
This journal will be there as and when you need it.
Do I have to write something for every single prompt?
Not at all.
Some prompts might not feel relevant right now, and that’s okay.
You can skip, return, or even rewrite a prompt later with new perspective.
Grief changes over time, and so can your answers.
Think of this as your private space, not a test to complete.
What kind of prompts are included
The 196 prompts are gently structured around the emotional arc of grief, from the earliest moments of shock and remembrance, to checking in with your mental wellbeing, exploring identity after loss, processing quiet nights and memories, and eventually discovering meaning and peace in small, personal ways.
They’re crafted to help you:
- Honour what you’re feeling
- Process what you may not have words for yet
- Begin imagining a future, even if just one small step at a time
The journal doesn’t force a narrative, it simply offers a steady hand along the way and in your own timescale.
Would this make a good gift for someone?
Yes, if given thoughtfully.
Perhaps with a candle or a bunch of flowers, or even offered as a gift weeks later when things have settled down a bit.
This journal is ideal for someone who wants to explore their grief privately and in their own time.
It can be especially appreciated after the initial rush of sympathy has passed, when the days become quieter and more reflective.
If you're gifting it, consider adding a brief note, perhaps with a poem or quote about feelings, writing, journaling and so on, and letting them know there’s no expectation to use it right away, only when (and if) they feel ready.
Sometimes you get a gift, and never realised how much you needed it or wanted it till later.
Not everyone might think of using journaling prompts for grief in any way, shape or form but you could change that for them.
You may never have thought about buying it yourself but you are so glad someone was thoughtful enough to do so for you.
What kind of pens or materials work best?
The journal is printed on high quality paper to handle most pens without bleeding.
I would recommend a smooth gel or ballpoint pen for the best writing experience.
You may wish to use or suggest to the recipient bookmarks or tabs to mark important sections, or a keepsake pouch to store notes, cards, or photographs alongside it.
Perhaps buy a beautiful pen or pencil to go with it!
Personally, I use a pencil with an eraser on the end because I write and change my mind often after I have had time to think.
Can it be used alongside therapy?
Absolutely.
Many people find that journaling complements other forms of support.
These journaling prompts for grief can spark conversations, uncover insights, or simply provide a sense of grounding between sessions.
I found it very helpful after seeing someone for some help, it complimented the sessions in a way I had not expected, especially in a couple of areas I was stuck in.
I have used the simple grief journal first...
Will I benefit from this one, do I really need another one?
Yes, most definitely, especially if you’re ready to go deeper into your self care.
The Simple Grief Journal is perfect for getting started especially if you have never used journaling prompts for grief before.
It’s habit forming, calming, and softly repetitive by design, it's an easy process
The Guided Grief Journal offers more depth, variety, and room for personal exploration across a longer timeframe and across a wide range of grief areas you will encounter along the way.
Many people choose to move from one to the other as their grief journey evolves.
Still got a question?
Please don’t hesitate to ask anything via my contact page or post one up on the Q & A page so you can share with everyone.
I am always happy to help you decide whether this is the right resource for you or someone you love.
Take the first step forward
Whether you're buying for a friend or colleague, just beginning your own grief journey or looking to return to it with intention,
The Guided Grief Journal offers an easy, guided, purposeful place to begin.
There’s no pressure to “move on.”
Only a gentle invitation to move through, one page, one thought, one feeling at a time.
Order your copy today & help someone start on the road to healing
