Emotional Inventory Guide
Gently peel the layers of grief for increased clarity and peace without the overwhelm
Free Downloadable Guide
Your heart hurts. You have had a major loss and all the feelings feel overwhelming and confusing. This simple process helps you:
- gently peel away the layers of your feelings
- validate your experience
- untangle conflicting feelings to make easier decisions
- highlight areas for support
- sooth your heart
Our Emotional Inventory Guide includes information to help you better understand grief, detailed instructions for completing your own Emotional Inventory, three examples for your reference, and reflection questions to help you integrate what you learn.
Are you a support person? This guide will help you, too! Managers, spouses, friends, and colleagues can use this guide to better appreciate the layers of grief and show up more compassionately. The end of the guide includes special instructions for support people.
Grief 101
Understanding grief will help you better appreciate the ways it can manifest in your life. This section also lays the groundwork for the Emotional Inventory exercise.
Examples Provided
Our personal examples are included to illustrate the process of peeling the onion of your own layers.
Many Applications
We share ideas for how you can use this tool to clarify decisions, highlight needs, or identify ways you can support a grieving friend.
Why this guide?
Building your understanding of how grief shows up in your life is the important first step into healing your heart and then learning how to live with grief.
We know this exercise can help both grievers and their support people.
For grievers:
From holidays to death anniversaries to calendar reminders of painful losses - this worksheet will help you:
- Gain clarity on what YOU need to better navigate your own unique non-linear grief
- Normalize and validate your grief experience
- Better understand your own grief and reaction to loss
- Get started on outlining the next steps to feel more supported and less alone
For those supporting grievers:
Whether you are a spouse, a friend, a manager, or a neighbor - you may have questions on how to support someone following a loss. This worksheet will help you:
- Gain insight into the layers of loss the person may be experiencing.
- Build empathy for how difficult this time is for them
- Draft ideas for ways you can best offer support both now and throughout the non-linear process that is grief