The Understanding Your Grief Journal : Exploring the Ten Essential Touchstones (eBook)

Introduction 'Writing is the most profound way of codifying your thoughts, the best way of learning from yourself who you are and what you believe.' Warren Bennis I have written this journal as a companion to my book Understanding Your Grief: Ten Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart. My hope is that this guided journal can be a 'safe place' for you to explore your experience with the ten essential touchstones. As you tell your story, your words will guide you on your unique journey through the wilderness of your grief. Your words will also give testimony to the love you will always have for the person who has died. You can use the journal not only to understand your grief, but to remember, celebrate, and commemorate the life of the person to whom you dedicate this journal. The Value of Journaling Journaling has proven to be an excellent way for many people to do the work of mourning. Journaling is private and independent, yet it's still expressing your grief outside of yourself. I've been a grief counselor for a long time now (over 20 years!), and I've found that while it may not be for everyone, the process of putting the written word on paper is profoundly helpful to many grieving people in the following ways: Journaling • honors the person who died. • clarifies what you're thinking and feeling. • creates a safe place of solace, a place where you can fully express yourself no matter what you are experiencing. • allows you to tap into the touchstones of the companion book. • helps soften the intensity of your thoughts and feelings and helps you better understand both your grief and your mourning. • clears out your naturally overwhelmed mind and full heart. • examines the pain you are experiencing and transforms it into something survivable. • creates an opportunity to acknowledge the balance in your life between the sad and the happy. • strengthens your awareness of how your grief journey changes over time. • maps out your transformation as you journey through grief. As one author observed, 'When you write, you lay out a line of words. The line of words is a miner's pick, a woodcarver's gouge, a surgeon's probe. You wield it, and it digs a path you follow.' To this I would add that a grief journal can provide a lifeline when you are in the midst of the wilderness. As you learn, remember, and discover new things, you can and will reach the end of your journey through grief. Journaling Suggestions First, please remember that there is no 'correct' or 'right' way to use this journal. You will not be graded on how quickly you complete the pages that follow. Actually, I would suggest that you take your time. If you are using this resource as part of a support group experience, your leaders will probably 'dose' the completing of this journal over weeks or months. If you are reading Understanding Your Grief and completing this journal on your own, I suggest you find a trusted person who can be available to you if and when you want to talk out any thoughts and feelings the journal brings up for you. When I say a trusted person, I mean someone who accepts you where you are right now in your...