The Importance Of Having A Grief Journal

Introduction

Before We Dig Into Our Topic “The Importance Of Having A Grief Journal”, There Is One Thing That I Would Like To Say:-

“ Two things in life change you and you are never the same- Love and Grief”.

This entirely relates to the present scenario. There are times when you feel so low and lost that you think that you have completely lost it. There is so much pain in you that you believe that things won’t work anymore and you are completely shattered. Grief is a powerful human emotion, and it is tough to express this emotion. Grief may be of different forms. It might be due to losing someone, shattering of a dream or a breakup. We, as individuals, need to learn and understand how to deal with our emotions and how to overcome grief. Some people might resort to discussing their grief with their near and dear ones, but at times people cannot understand what you are going through until they step into your shoes. So, at times this also doesn’t work. To vent out all your grief and emotions, writing can be a great way. 

Psychologists have found out in the research that writing is a mighty weapon to have an open and true conversation with yourself. It helps heal your emotions and pain, which helps you to understand your feelings and gives you the much needed time to express yourself.

I remember the first time when I started writing a journal, and you would not believe the amount of satisfaction I felt after writing it. My reasons for writing were different; I was feeling immense pain and grief and had no one to whom I could share and express. So, I started writing a Journal. And it has become my habit now, and you would find a dozen journals lying around a rack of my house. Journal is a tried and tested method of helping cope up with your sorrow and grief. It helps you come out of the pain that has taken over you so severely. Grief Journal has immense benefits, and keeping one will help you feel relaxed and calm.

Importance of a Grief Journal

A grief Journal is a place where you can pen down your thoughts and feelings without the fear of being judged or misunderstood. It describes the journey of your sorrows and pains and how far you have come fighting with it. A grief Journal need not be a fancy one; you just need a notebook and a pen to get started. There is no rule for writing a grief journal. It can be written in any way and format to express your anger, sorrow and grief. Let’s discuss the importance of keeping a Grief Journal.

1. Maintaining a Grief Journal helps you better contemplate and understand your emotions and feelings. When you are penning down your thoughts, you become more aware and clear of your conscious. You have the opportunity to deeply ponder over your thoughts and get in terms with you certain things which you could have otherwise not thought.
2. A grief journal doesn’t judge you on what and how you are writing. You can write in any form and format. Nobody is going to judge you for that. The journal belongs to you, and it is up to you how you keep it.  You can express yourself in whatever form you feel like. It can be a painting, drawing, pasting a picture or just scribbling. Whatever gives you satisfaction and makes you at peace should be written in the journal.
3. A grief journal can be a great way to restore the memories of your loved ones. You can save your memories by writing about them, giving instances of your relationship with them, what were their favourite things, some pictures with them. All these memories will stay with you forever, and you can take out the journal anytime and relive those memories and days again.
4. Keeping a grief journal helps you improve your emotional and physical well-being.  It leads to better concentration and focus. It helps in relieving the stress and makes your mind calm and peaceful. It also promotes better sleep and rings in positivity in your thoughts. It works as a therapy to control your emotions and come out of the grief and pain fearlessly.
5. A grief journal is like a journey. It records all the changes that take place in your mood and feelings with time. This way, you can look back and reflect on your journey and see how far you have reached.
6. Grief journal is like a companion where you can write the deepest of your secrets and sorrows, which you might not feel like sharing with someone else. You can write whatever makes you feel nostalgic and express the harshest of truth and sorrow lying deep within you. You will not be judged for your thoughts here, and nobody will ask you any questions. It works as your best friend.
7. A grief journal also helps in developing creative writing skills. While one is writing about their sorrows and pain, it gives them the exposure to writing systematically. This way, writing about something else apart from your emotions help build your writing skills and also give you relief from the pain by diverting your mind. It lets you grow personally from the sufferings and pain.

Some Important Tips On How To Make Use Of The Grief Journal

1. Make sure to keep your grief journal handy. Try to keep it with you all the times so that you can pen down your thoughts whenever you feel upset or in pain. 
2. Start your grief journal by writing a list of gratitude. This way, you will be able to divert your sorrow or negative thoughts. You will be happy to see the things that you have accomplished till now and how the pain and sorrow will also get over. 
3. Make writing grief journal a part of your routine. Spare some time every day to understand the thoughts that are visiting you and how you can overcome them. It will also improve your writing skills.
4. You can start writing a grief journal without worrying about any grammar mistakes or editing. You can write down anything that helps you relieve your pain and gives you some kind of positivity into your mind.

Conclusion

Writing has proved to be an effective and powerful way of expressing your emotions and feelings. It gives you that strength and courage to fight with your emotions and overcome them. A grief journal just lets you do that. It makes for a great therapy and healing way to deal with such uncertainties. By jotting down the things going inside oneself, one can find solace and peace of mind. It is one of the safest and economical ways of self-care. I hope this piece of information would help you, and you would try to overcome your sorrows by writing a grief journal.

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