Ever since I was a young girl through writing, I’ve expressed my deepest feelings and thoughts. Journaling has been especially helpful during a prolonged season of caregiving, anticipatory grief, and navigating multiple losses.
In 2019, my parents were involved in a bad car accident, and I began assisting as one or their caregivers. My mom sustained a serious concussion, significant hearing loss, 9 broken ribs, and a crushed collarbone.
My dad hurt his back, his hearing loss intensified – and it was bad before, dementia became more noticeable than prior to the accident. Both of them suffered from the emotional trauma the accident caused.
Two months later…
Soon after Bella passed away, my dad’s condition declined and he entered palliative care at home.
During those next few months, I cared for him most nights from mid evening until his PSW relieved me in the morning. In the quiet of those nights, as I watched over him while he slept, the light of my laptop screen pierced the darkness. Consumed with anticipatory grief, I knew I would soon lose my dad to lymphoma, which had also taken my aunt.
I poured my broken and weary heart into journaling my thoughts and my grief. It was so difficult watching my dad’s life fade away in front of me. In the early morning of November 12, 2022, my sister, her husband, and I were with my dad as he passed away. In the moment he took his last breath I struggled to draw my next one.
It was the moment my heart shattered and life as I knew it had forever changed!
Fresh grief entered in and consumed me like an unwelcome intruder once again. This time deeper than I’d ever felt before.
Writing about my journey with my father through life and his illness helped me cope with the loss and deep grief.
A year later after my dad passed, we had to put our 16-year-old Lab mix, Koda to sleep. We had Koda from age 5 1/2 weeks old. My daughter and I were to meet my mom and sister for dinner in memory of my dad on what would have been his 87th birthday.
My dad loved our goofy sweet boy Koda and it is my hope and belief they are together again. I wrote more about the experience of navigating pet loss here.
Since then another close Aunt and cousin passed away too. It’s been a lingering season of loss, grief, fatigue, overwhelm, emptiness, and drastic changes. I felt so broken and lost. Navigating grief while caring for my well-being was incredibly challenging.
The act of journaling helped immensely as I struggled to make sense of my life and all the heartache that came with multiple losses.
The Role of Journaling
Journaling became more than just an outlet for my grief; it was a crucial tool for self-care. Writing, sometimes multiple times a day, offered me comfort and helped me process my whirlwind of emotions.
As I wrote, I began to piece together my thoughts and untangle the emotions that felt too overwhelming to confront or share with others. I found it to be healing as I navigated my grief, losses and the different life I now live. I wrote a post called The Healing Power of Journaling you can read it here.
Why Journaling Helps with Grief
The weight of grief creates an overwhelming storm of emotions, making it challenging to navigate daily life.
Journaling offers a safe space to release emotions and express complex feelings.
Processing Grief: Writing helps us make sense of our emotions, allowing us to explore and understand our pain more deeply. Through journaling, we can confront complex feelings, identify patterns, and gain insights into our grief journey.
Self-Reflection: Journaling encourages self-awareness, leading to personal growth and resilience. Reflecting on experiences can provide valuable insights into our emotional responses.
Stress Reduction: Grief is stressful on our minds and bodies. Writing about our thoughts and feelings reduces stress and anxiety, promoting a sense of calm.
Finding Comfort: Journaling can help identify moments of hope and gratitude, shifting focus from pain to appreciation and finding comfort in the legacy of love and memories.
In these moments of reflection, we uncover glimpses of hope and gratitude
for the legacy of love and memories we carry close to our hearts.
Finding Comfort Through Writing
Life is filled with challenges and moments that weigh us down. Along the way, we lose loved ones, and it hurts. For me, journaling has been a lifeline, helping me cope with deep grief and navigate multiple losses.
If you are navigating the grief of losing a loved one — I’m sorry for your loss.
I encourage you to find a quiet space and let your thoughts flow. You may discover that journaling can be a light of hope in the darkest times.
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