Grief Feelings Map (Printable)

Grief feelings map

Tick what you feel today. Several at once is normal, and the mix changes from day to day. Nothing here is right or wrong.

☐ Today I feel…	Stage-model name	What often helps
☐ Numb, or it doesn't feel real Facing the loss	Denial	Keep tasks tiny for now. Let someone else handle what can be handed over.
☐ Missing them, longing Facing the loss	Not one of the five, though it is often the strongest	Keep a note on your phone of things you want to tell them. Share one with someone who knew them.
☐ Angry Both sides	Anger	Move your body: a fast walk, stairs, cleaning. Write the angry letter you will never send.
☐ Guilty, "if only" Facing the loss	Bargaining	Write the "if only" down. Next to it, write what you actually knew at the time.
☐ Deep sadness, crying a lot Facing the loss	"Depression" (grief, not the illness)	Cry when it comes. Ask one person to sit with you, even in silence.
☐ Calm moments, even laughing Rebuilding daily life	Acceptance, or simply a break	Let the good hour be good. You do not need to earn it back with sadness later.
☐ Relief Both sides	Not one of the five	Name it to yourself or one trusted person. Relief that their suffering ended is not a betrayal.
☐ Anxious about the future Rebuilding daily life	Not one of the five	Pick one practical task for this week. Ask someone who has done it before to walk you through it.
☐ Exhausted, not sleeping Both sides	Not one of the five	Lie down and rest even if sleep will not come. Keep naps short.
☐ Foggy, can't focus Both sides	Not one of the five	Use lists and phone reminders. Ask someone to double-check forms and bills.
☐ Lonely, cut off Both sides	Not one of the five	Name one person and one time: "Can you call me Sunday at 7?" A grief group can also help.

Two sides of grief. Some hours you face the loss: missing them, crying, remembering. Other hours you rebuild daily life: chores, new tasks, a break. Moving between the two, and resting from both, is part of grieving (Stroebe and Schut, 1999).

The five stages come from Kübler-Ross (1969), who described people who were dying. Research does not show that mourners go through them in a fixed order (Stroebe et al. 2017; Maciejewski et al. 2007).

In danger or thinking of ending your life: call or text 988 (US, Canada), call 116 123 (UK, Ireland), 13 11 14 (Australia), call or text 1737 (New Zealand), or your emergency number.

quietarium.com/en/grief/stages-of-grief/ · CC BY-NC 4.0 · not medical advice