Grief Affirmations: 5 Messages to Help You Heal, Not Just Survive
Grief isn’t a straight, paved road. If you could use some help navigating the twists and turns, take these grief affirmations. They don't deny what hurts. They honor the losses engraved on your heart, the love that runs like a river through every crack in your armor. Take what feels healing to you.
5 Grief Affirmations to Help You Not Just Survive
1. I heal with curiosity, presence, and hope.
The road to healing is bumpy, but I am learning to be nimble. The path is winding, but I am willing to be present with every curve. It’s not the easiest path to walk, but I'm learning how to walk a new way. I keep my heart open to love. I tread gently on the earth. I explore this new life of mine with curiosity and hope. I heal and grow as I go.
2. Grief gives me wings with which I spread love.
Grief takes me higher, expands my perspective, and gives me wings to make something new out of this life. I'm learning just how much brighter I can shine because I've known the darkness. I keep learning how much lighter I can be, now that I'm here. I leave an imprint of love wherever I go; this is how I honor the love I still grow.
“There is no pushing through. But rather, there is absorption. Adjustment. Acceptance. And grief is not something you complete, but rather, you endure. Grief is not a task to finish and move on, but an element of yourself—an alteration of your being. A new way of seeing. A new definition of self.” — Gwen Flowers
3. I am always healing, and never alone.
Healing is a process, one I take on, one step at a time. I've survived impossible things, and I'm not alone in how I feel. However isolating my suffering pretends to be, it’s a shared experience with countless other people. I walk this path, healing as I go, knowing I do not walk alone.
4. Grief is a call for me to wake up and live, and love, even more.
Grief can be a guide, too. Because of what I’m going through, I choose to highlight the beauty that life still has to give. I choose to follow the path that makes me feel alive and part of the miracle of existing. How I live now is how I choose to give something better to the world. I ask myself, “How can I love well today?” and I take each day as just one day.
You're here and breathing, and it's still your turn — to honor, to connect, to get back up again, to question, to go deeper, to serve, and to figure out how much more the word “love” can be.
5. My life is a celebration of their life.
The love we shared is still the love we share. This love is the foundation of all life, and it has no end. I absorb their loving essence and let them breathe through me, walk through me, speak through me, and be with me. They're always a presence in my heart, a bright spot in my mind, a guide in everyday life. With each step, I honor them.
. . .
Tell me:
Which of these affirmations do you need the most today?
Tell me in the comments. I read every single one, and I'd love to know.
With love,
Jen
P.S. Need more light? Go visit my shop for prints of handwritten poems and other words of hope and heart. If you ever forget what a gift it is to be here at all, you'll have something to remind you. Something to hold on to.
Comments on this post (18)
Nykky, I needed to read this today. Thank you for sharing, even though you hurt so much. Your commitment to life, and the love you still and always share, is a lighthouse. Much love and may you be free. <3
— Jennifer Williamson
I lost the love of my life to suicide in December of 2020. It has been rough and has completely changed my life. Number 5 resonates with me because he was such an amazing beautiful soul that impacted My life so much. Reminding myself that he is a part of me because of the love we shared. His love has gotten me through some dark times in the past and being able to feel that love in these dark times now has allowed me to see that I am not alone and to celebrate my life because in turn I am also celebrating and honoring his.
— Nykky
Tiana, thank you for sharing your pain and your gratitude here. I am so sorry for the loss of your sister. May she be at peace, and may you find peace in the lasting love and presence you carry forward in your own life. My heart is with you and your family. I wish you all the light you need as you heal, and send you all my love. x
— Jennifer Williamson
Jen,
#3
I lost my sister to suicide on April 30, 2020. We knew she was depressed, but never thought she was suicidal. She left 5 letters behind, so I know she knew what she was doing. Three major things lead up to her taking her own life. Our mom passed three years ago and she never dealt with that. Her son moved out last June. On April 24, 2020 she was furloughed, due to Covid19. In her mind she thought she was being fired. Our mom, her son and her job were the three things she treasured the most. Without those she was lost and her job was her breaking point. She sends me signs when she knows I need them. I wish she was still here, but I know she is at peace and happy now.
Thank you!
Tiana Sand
— Tiana Sand
Rachel, I am so sorry for the loss of your dad. He seems like he was a wonderful man, role model, and grandfather to your children. May his spirit and love live on in each of you. I don’t think we’re every truly alone. x
— Jennifer Williamson
Sean, I am deeply sorry for this deep, deep loss of your wife. Sometimes there are no words. I think most of us wish we could have been there, could have been the one to save the person we love. This is a pain of its own, one we take one day at a time. I wish you small moments of peace, of knowing that your wife is closer than it appears. I wish you find comfort in this love you both share still, and healing in unexpected places. My heart is with you.
— Jennifer Williamson
Affirmation no. 3 is helping now. My Dad passed suddenly two weeks ago and I miss him so much. My children miss him, he was the best grandfather. We saw him so often. It’s just a big empty hole. But it’s comforting to know that others understand completely.
— Rachel
Hi Jen
I just lost my wife last month due to a stroke. Ive been finding it extremely difficult to deal with. She was only 46 years old and such a beautiful bubbly person. I keep expecting her to walk into the room at any moment. The worst thing is I never got to say goodby6. By the time I got her to casualty the doctors said we need to hope that she wakes up. And then 5 minutes later she passed away. I feel so guilty that I could not save her. I loved her so much. We did everything together. And now I’m lost without her. So alone.
— Sean Loader
Susan, I am deeply sorry for the loss of your son and your grandson’s father. You get to cry and grieve for as long as you need to… for the rest of your life, if you need to. Email me anytime for support or an ear to listen. I hope what I share here can continue to support you. My heart is with you. x
— Jennifer Williamson
— Susan
Susan, thank you for sharing this all here with me, with us. I appreciate your openness and the love you still exude, even after such a devastating loss. I am so sorry you lost your husband. My heart is with you. It’s the hardest thing, I think, to move forward but knowing you still carry their love, and not just the pain, helps. Knowing the love you shared and created, and seeing the proof in your children and all that’s around you and in your heart, is a comfort and a strength. Thank you, again, for keeping your heart open. It’s an honor that the words I share that help me through, can help you through as well. We rebuild, together. <3
— Jennifer Williamson
Jen,
I lost my husband in a sudden accident while our family was preparing for a holiday party the day after Christmas 2017. He and I had been together since we were teenagers and were just about to enter retirement and become grandparents. We were healthy, happy and looking forward to so many wonderful things. It has been a devastating loss, not just for me but for our adult children, as well. I am trying to remain a positive, loving person, but it has been very difficult for me. I have been searching for the right affirmations to try to redirect my thoughts and remind me to appreciate life and continue to find joy. Your affirmations spoke to me. #3 was a thought that I had clung to early on. People have lost their loved ones for centuries and I am not unique in this experience. I am not alone. #5 is the most poignant for me, since it was my husband’s love that saved me from a very lonely, unhappy early part of my life, and the way he loved and cared for me, our family and others was what we all miss the most about him. He was an extraordinarily kind and compassionate person, and I can feel his love with me still. Love has no end. And I especially like how you added, ’They’re always a presence in my heart, a bright spot in my mind, a guide in everyday life. With each step, I honor them.’ This is what my children and I are trying to do. Thank you.
— Susan
Diana, thank you for sharing this here and for being so honest and open about what you’re going through. I am so sorry for the loss of your sister, that she had to go through such pain and her family now has to carry this pain, anger and distrust. I know how impossible hope seems sometimes… even still, it’s here, somehow. Sometimes we find it alone, sometimes together. My heart is with you and I wish you small moments of peace, connection and understanding as you heal. Email me anytime <3
— Jennifer Williamson
Hello Jen,
I lost my sister one month ago. The pain is sometimes unbearable. The emptiness I feel is overwhelming. She got sick last year and until this day they don’t know what she had. It still has no name in the medicinal world. She died because she didn’t get air and suffocated nobody from the nurses in the intensive care she had were near to help her.
I feel so many emotions, many of them are anger, helplessnes, disapointment loss of trust in the medical care. I really can’t see how to recover from that because I had a similar situation with my father over 12 years ago and I didn’t manage and my sister didn’t manage to recover from that in a healthy way. I think that I still have a glimpse of hope for a new start because searching for places like this, that offer comfort and even inspiration, proves it. I like this affirm. and I am feeling that I have to add sth more personalised to my situation where the loss of trust in people, anger and other deep emotions and beliefs that create further pain are aldo considered. Hopefully we all find our way and love and connection.
Thank you for doing what you are doing.
— Diana Kolev
#5
— Chairettie
Robin, I am so so sorry for the loss of your husband. I’m touched these words can help you during such a difficult time. May the love you share be the love that carries you through <3 (email me anytime, my door is always open)
— Jennifer Williamson
#5
Lost my husband last Monday. He was 50 and passed away due to kidney cancer. My heart hurts all the time. 💔 A friend shared this link with me and I love the messages!
— Robin
Number 4
— Louise