Grief Beyond Loss: Journaling as a Path Through Non-Death Grief
Grief isn't just about death. It's about loss, and loss comes in many forms.
From the end of a relationship, to the loss of a job, to life transitions that didn’t go as planned, non-death grief is real. And just like any grief, it deserves space, support, and healing.
The Power of Putting It on Paper
Journaling can be a powerful way to process non-death losses. When you're not ready to talk, or when you can't quite name what you're feeling, writing gives your emotions somewhere to go. It doesn’t have to be eloquent. It just has to be honest.
A Framework for Healing
In session, I often use a framework from Psychologist J. William Worden called TEAR: To accept the reality of the loss, Experience the pain of the loss, Adjust to a changed world without what was lost, and Reinvest in new meaning, relationships, and experiences. It's simple but not easy. It gives us guideposts to explore where we are and what’s next.
The grief journaling prompts are built around the TEAR framework, but it's adapted for non-death losses, too. You don’t have to lose a person to feel grief. Sometimes we grieve what could have been, what never was, or what’s changed in ways we didn’t choose.
Strategize Your Success
You don’t have to walk through grief alone. At Tactical Counseling, journaling is just one of many tools we use to help you make sense of what you’re feeling and move through it at your own pace.
If you're dealing with a loss that doesn't always get acknowledged, know that it's still valid. Let’s work together to make space for your grief, name it, and begin to move forward.
Resources for Further Reading:
- Our House Grief Support Center
- SAMHSA Coping with Bereavement and Grief
- APA Podcast: Speaking of Psychology: Ambiguous loss and the “myth of closure,” with Pauline Boss, PhD