Grief can affect every part of life – emotionally, physically, and socially.

Whether your loss is recent or many years ago, having gentle structure can help you understand what you’re experiencing and feel less alone.

The Loss Foundation offers a collection of free grief worksheets (PDF) to support adults navigating grief and loss. These worksheets are designed by Clinical Psychologist Dr Erin Hope Thompson MBE and can be downloaded and used at your own pace.

They are suitable for individuals, professionals, and anyone supporting someone who is grieving.

If you’re interested in deepening your understanding of grief or supporting others, we also offer a range of grief training courses. Skip to our grief courses →

These grief and loss worksheets (PDF) explore common grief experiences. Grief does not follow neat stages, and there is no right order to work through them – you may return to the same worksheet many times or skip others entirely.

Each free printable grief worksheet is designed to help you:

• Prioritise self-care during grief
• Reflect on your emotions
• Identify coping mechanisms
• Manage holiday triggers and difficult moments
• Maintain connection with your loved one

All worksheets are free to download, printable, and suitable for adults. These resources can also be used alongside counselling, peer support, or as part of personal grief work.

Worksheets include:

🎇 Shock – Mapping Your Grief Journey
😶 Disconnection & Numbness – Denial: My Grief Journey
😡 Anger & Outbursts – Anger: My Grief Journey
🛠️ Searching for Coping Mechanisms – My Coping Tools
🎶 Everyday Triggers – My Holiday Crisis + Coping Plan
⚖️ Guilt – Understanding My Grief
🤫 Isolation & Silence – My Social Plan
🤝 Recognition & Solidarity – Talking About Grief
🕯️ Memories as Comfort – Treasured Memories
💥 Traumatic Memories – Caring for Yourself When Difficult Memories Arise
💛 Continuing the Bond – You + The Future
🌿 Looking After Ourselves / Self-Care – Wheel of Self-Care + Daily Checklists

Worksheet One

Shock

Shock can make the world feel unreal. You may feel frozen, overwhelmed, or unable to process what’s happened. This reaction is a natural part of early grief.

^^^ Helps you map your grief visually. It encourages honesty, creativity, and non-linear expression of where you are in your grief journey right now.

Worksheet Two

Disconnection + Numbness

Grief can create a sense of numbness or distance from yourself and others. These feelings often protect you when emotions are too big to hold all at once.

^^^ Looks at denial as a part of grief, with reflection prompts and grounding exercises to help you acknowledge difficult feelings at your own pace and stay connected to the present.

Worksheet Three

Anger + Outbursts

Anger is a common response to loss. It can come suddenly, fade quickly, or linger. This emotion often signals pain, love, and the unfairness of what happened.

^^^ Explores anger after loss, understand its sources, and express it in healthy, compassionate ways. Includes reflection prompts, journaling suggestions, and practical techniques for difficult emotions.

Worksheet Four

Coping Mechanisms

In grief, we reach for anything that helps us get through the day. Some coping tools support us, others drain us – noticing the difference is the first step to caring for yourself.

^^^ A worksheet that helps you identify your current coping tools, recognise what supports you during overwhelming moments, and note healthier strategies to build while acknowledging unhelpful habits.

Worksheet Five

Triggers

Small moments, sounds, places, or dates can bring grief rushing back. Triggers aren’t setbacks – they’re reminders of love, memory, and the depth of your connection.

^^^ A simple crisis plan to help you notice when you’re struggling, identify triggers, lean on support, and choose grounding actions and affirmations to stay steady during tough moments.

Worksheet Six

Guilt

Guilt in grief often shows up as “what ifs” and “if onlys.” These thoughts are common, but they rarely reflect the full truth. Compassion softens what guilt distorts.

^^^ A gentle worksheet that helps you explore guilt and regret in grief, offering examples and space to reframe “what if” thoughts with more compassion and perspective.

Worksheet Seven

Isolation + Silence

Grief can feel lonely, especially when others don’t know what to say. You may pull back or feel unseen – but your experience is valid, and you deserve support.

^^^ A social-planning worksheet that helps you set boundaries, choose supportive people and activities, and create an inner/outer circle of what nurtures you versus what feels draining.

Worksheet Eight

Recognition + Solidarity

Being understood – even briefly – can ease the weight of grief. Feeling recognised by others reminds you that your pain makes sense and you’re not facing it alone.

^^^ A helpful worksheet that supports you in talking about grief, offering simple phrases, boundary-setting tips, and reflection prompts to guide safe, supportive conversations.

Worksheet Nine

Memories as Comfort

Memories can hurt and comfort at the same time. Over time, they can become a source of warmth, connection, and a way to keep your loved one close.

^^^ A gentle memory-keeping worksheet that invites you to honour a loved one by recording treasured moments, familiar sayings, and the little things that defined your connection.

Worksheet Ten

Traumatic Memories

Traumatic memories can feel intrusive and intense. They often appear without warning, but grounding techniques can help you regain steadiness and safety.

^^^ A worksheet designed to help you understand how difficult or unexpected memories can show up during grief, guiding you to notice their impact gently while building skills that support steadiness and self-care.

Worksheet Eleven

Continuing the bond

Grief doesn’t end your connection – it changes it. Finding ways to carry your loved one forward can bring meaning and comfort as you move forward.

^^^ A worksheet that helps you explore how grief is shaping your identity, encouraging you to note the qualities, roles, and aspirations you want to carry forward as you grow into your future self.

Worksheet Twelve

Self-care

Grief is exhausting. Gentle, realistic self-care helps you find moments of steadiness, rest, and compassion when everything feels overwhelming.

^^^ A comprehensive self-care worksheet that helps you reflect on your wellbeing across areas like sleep, boundaries, emotions, hobbies, and physical care, offering practical ideas and daily checklists to support you.