Writing Prompts for Grief
Something I have dabbled with on and off during the last couple of years is writing as a way to reflect on and heal from challenges life throws my way. Last summer I read Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief and it had an entire chapter on the healing power of writing, along with a list of writing prompts.
The first set is mostly for fun, to get you into the swing of things. I have gone through a few of them, and plan to share them on the blog periodically. You can write about anything, but I have been challenging myself to relate these prompts to Leo's loss. The author Cheryl Strayed provided this list:
A time when you realized you were mistaken
A lesson you learned the hard way
A time you were inappropriately dressed for the occasion
Something you lost that you’ll never get back
A time when you knew you had done the right thing
Something you don’t remember
Your darkest teacher
A memory of a physical injury
When you knew it was over
About being loved
What you were really thinking
How you found your way back
The kindness of strangers
Why you could not do it
Why you did
The end of the book provided a list of memory related prompts to go through:
I remember when…
I loved it when you…
It always made me laugh when you…
The first time we met was
You were so good at
You were most you when you were doing…
You taught me
You were happiest when you
The funniest thing that ever happened to you was
You always wanted to
Your favorite song was
Your favorite food was
Your favorite hobby was
Your favorite clothes were
Your favorite movie was
Your favorite book was
Your favorite holidays were
You got through hard times by doing
You were admired for being
Do you write as a way to process and reflect?
Sending love and healing.
