titles for grief essay

• Death And Dying

8 Popular Essays About Death, Grief & the Afterlife

Updated 05/4/2022

Published 07/19/2021

Joe Oliveto, BA in English

Contributing writer

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Death is a strange topic for many reasons, one of which is the simple fact that different people can have vastly different opinions about discussing it.

Jump ahead to these sections: 

Essays or articles about the death of a loved one, essays or articles about dealing with grief, essays or articles about the afterlife or near-death experiences.

Some fear death so greatly they don’t want to talk about it at all. However, because death is a universal human experience, there are also those who believe firmly in addressing it directly. This may be more common now than ever before due to the rise of the death positive movement and mindset.

You might believe there’s something to be gained from talking and learning about death. If so, reading essays about death, grief, and even near-death experiences can potentially help you begin addressing your own death anxiety. This list of essays and articles is a good place to start. The essays here cover losing a loved one, dealing with grief, near-death experiences, and even what someone goes through when they know they’re dying.

Losing a close loved one is never an easy experience. However, these essays on the topic can help someone find some meaning or peace in their grief.

1. ‘I’m Sorry I Didn’t Respond to Your Email, My Husband Coughed to Death Two Years Ago’ by Rachel Ward

Rachel Ward’s essay about coping with the death of her husband isn’t like many essays about death. It’s very informal, packed with sarcastic humor, and uses an FAQ format. However, it earns a spot on this list due to the powerful way it describes the process of slowly finding joy in life again after losing a close loved one.

Ward’s experience is also interesting because in the years after her husband’s death, many new people came into her life unaware that she was a widow. Thus, she often had to tell these new people a story that’s painful but unavoidable. This is a common aspect of losing a loved one that not many discussions address.

2. ‘Everything I know about a good death I learned from my cat’ by Elizabeth Lopatto

Not all great essays about death need to be about human deaths! In this essay, author Elizabeth Lopatto explains how watching her beloved cat slowly die of leukemia and coordinating with her vet throughout the process helped her better understand what a “good death” looks like.

For instance, she explains how her vet provided a degree of treatment but never gave her false hope (for instance, by claiming her cat was going to beat her illness). They also worked together to make sure her cat was as comfortable as possible during the last stages of her life instead of prolonging her suffering with unnecessary treatments.

Lopatto compares this to the experiences of many people near death. Sometimes they struggle with knowing how to accept death because well-meaning doctors have given them the impression that more treatments may prolong or even save their lives, when the likelihood of them being effective is slimmer than patients may realize.

Instead, Lopatto argues that it’s important for loved ones and doctors to have honest and open conversations about death when someone’s passing is likely near. This can make it easier to prioritize their final wishes instead of filling their last days with hospital visits, uncomfortable treatments, and limited opportunities to enjoy themselves.

3. ‘The terrorist inside my husband’s brain’ by Susan Schneider Williams

This article, which Susan Schneider Williams wrote after the death of her husband Robin Willians, covers many of the topics that numerous essays about the death of a loved one cover, such as coping with life when you no longer have support from someone who offered so much of it. 

However, it discusses living with someone coping with a difficult illness that you don’t fully understand, as well. The article also explains that the best way to honor loved ones who pass away after a long struggle is to work towards better understanding the illnesses that affected them. 

4. ‘Before I Go’ by Paul Kalanithi

“Before I Go” is a unique essay in that it’s about the death of a loved one, written by the dying loved one. Its author, Paul Kalanithi, writes about how a terminal cancer diagnosis has changed the meaning of time for him.

Kalanithi describes believing he will die when his daughter is so young that she will likely never have any memories of him. As such, each new day brings mixed feelings. On the one hand, each day gives him a new opportunity to see his daughter grow, which brings him joy. On the other hand, he must struggle with knowing that every new day brings him closer to the day when he’ll have to leave her life.

Coping with grief can be immensely challenging. That said, as the stories in these essays illustrate, it is possible to manage grief in a positive and optimistic way.

5. Untitled by Sheryl Sandberg

This piece by Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s current CEO, isn’t a traditional essay or article. It’s actually a long Facebook post. However, many find it’s one of the best essays about death and grief anyone has published in recent years.

She posted it on the last day of sheloshim for her husband, a period of 30 days involving intense mourning in Judaism. In the post, Sandberg describes in very honest terms how much she learned from those 30 days of mourning, admitting that she sometimes still experiences hopelessness, but has resolved to move forward in life productively and with dignity.

She explains how she wanted her life to be “Option A,” the one she had planned with her husband. However, because that’s no longer an option, she’s decided the best way to honor her husband’s memory is to do her absolute best with “Option B.”

This metaphor actually became the title of her next book. Option B , which Sandberg co-authored with Adam Grant, a psychologist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, is already one of the most beloved books about death , grief, and being resilient in the face of major life changes. It may strongly appeal to anyone who also appreciates essays about death as well.

6. ‘My Own Life’ by Oliver Sacks

Grief doesn’t merely involve grieving those we’ve lost. It can take the form of the grief someone feels when they know they’re going to die.

Renowned physician and author Oliver Sacks learned he had terminal cancer in 2015. In this essay, he openly admits that he fears his death. However, he also describes how knowing he is going to die soon provides a sense of clarity about what matters most. Instead of wallowing in his grief and fear, he writes about planning to make the very most of the limited time he still has.

Belief in (or at least hope for) an afterlife has been common throughout humanity for decades. Additionally, some people who have been clinically dead report actually having gone to the afterlife and experiencing it themselves.

Whether you want the comfort that comes from learning that the afterlife may indeed exist, or you simply find the topic of near-death experiences interesting, these are a couple of short articles worth checking out.

7. ‘My Experience in a Coma’ by Eben Alexander

“My Experience in a Coma” is a shortened version of the narrative Dr. Eben Alexander shared in his book, Proof of Heaven . Alexander’s near-death experience is unique, as he’s a medical doctor who believes that his experience is (as the name of his book suggests) proof that an afterlife exists. He explains how at the time he had this experience, he was clinically braindead, and therefore should not have been able to consciously experience anything.

Alexander describes the afterlife in much the same way many others who’ve had near-death experiences describe it. He describes starting out in an “unresponsive realm” before a spinning white light that brought with it a musical melody transported him to a valley of abundant plant life, crystal pools, and angelic choirs. He states he continued to move from one realm to another, each realm higher than the last, before reaching the realm where the infinite love of God (which he says is not the “god” of any particular religion) overwhelmed him.

8. “One Man's Tale of Dying—And Then Waking Up” by Paul Perry

The author of this essay recounts what he considers to be one of the strongest near-death experience stories he’s heard out of the many he’s researched and written about over the years. The story involves Dr. Rajiv Parti, who claims his near-death experience changed his views on life dramatically.

Parti was highly materialistic before his near-death experience. During it, he claims to have been given a new perspective, realizing that life is about more than what his wealth can purchase. He returned from the experience with a permanently changed outlook.

This is common among those who claim to have had near-death experiences. Often, these experiences leave them kinder, more understanding, more spiritual, and less materialistic.

This short article is a basic introduction to Parti’s story. He describes it himself in greater detail in the book Dying to Wake Up , which he co-wrote with Paul Perry, the author of the article.

Essays About Death: Discussing a Difficult Topic

It’s completely natural and understandable to have reservations about discussing death. However, because death is unavoidable, talking about it and reading essays and books about death instead of avoiding the topic altogether is something that benefits many people. Sometimes, the only way to cope with something frightening is to address it.

Categories:

• Coping With Grief

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37 Ways To Write About Grief

In this post, we have included 37 things for you to consider when you write about grief .

One of our most popular series of posts on Writers Write is ‘ways to write about different emotions’. We’ve written about these so far:

• 37 Ways To Write About Anger
• 32 Ways To Write About Fear
• 43 Ways To Write About Love
• 29 Ways To Write About Happiness
• 40 Ways To Write About Empathy

In today’s post, we look at ways to write about grief.

This is not necessarily a post about grief as a story, but about how the emotion of grief affects the characters and the plotting of a book.

How do we  write about grief  in an authentic way?

A) What Is Grief?

Grief is an intense sorrow, a feeling of deep and poignant distress, which is usually caused by someone’s death (including a pet’s). Grief can also be felt with the ending of a relationship, or the death of a dream or an idea around which a life has been built. It can be felt with the diagnosis of a terminal illness. It is an intense emotion and the pain can seem unbearable.

Words associated with grief include:

Use these words when you’re describing a grieving person.

People often describe grief as a process . There are generally five stages associated with grief:

These are based on On Death and Dying , the 1969 book by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Some people may experience them in this order, but they can occur in any sequence and you can revisit the stages at any time. Some people skip a stage and others can experience more than one at the same time. The length of grieving depends on the person. It may take weeks or months or years.

People have also added ‘shock’ and ‘guilt’ to these stages.

B) Body Language

In your body language,  signs of loss are important. You can:

• Curl into a foetal position.
• Cover your face with hands or a pillow or blanket.
• Stare unseeingly.
• Sob uncontrollably.
• Find it hard to swallow.
• Wrap your arms around yourself.
• Scratch your hands and arms.
• Push people away.

C) Ways To Create Conflict With Grief

• The loss of a loved one can spur your main character into action. Love interests in fiction are the most common way to create internal  and  external  conflict. A love interest does not have to be a romantic love interest. ‘It can be a friend, a pet, or a family member.’ ( source ) The loss of this loved one could create a need for revenge or simply for healing.
• The emotion of grief could cause the character to lose their job, or resign from it.
• The emotion of grief could change other important relationships that were dependant on the person who has died.

D)  The Importance Of Grief In Plotting

Grief is a powerful and debilitating emotion. Only use it if it serves your plot.

• If you want to write a book about grief, this will obviously be your main plot. You will show the pain and despair of your main character and how they find their way back to life again. A good way to do this is with the use of a motif that is derived from a hobby or an occupation. The grieving person could be building a boat, or breeding a rare species of birds – anything that gives them a tangible story goal. They must do something – or the book would be boring.
• If you want to use it as a sub-plot, the death of the love interest is the one to choose. The love interest  is the most useful and the most common of all  sub-plots .
• Use their loss to show us more about them.
• Use the loss and their grief to move the story forward. This works in a detective story where the main character vows revenge for their loss – or simply becomes more determined to make things that are wrong, right.

E) Exercises For  Writing About Grief

• Write about the moment your protagonist is told about someone they love dying. Use body language, dialogue, and the senses if you can.
• Write about the moment your antagonist is told about someone they love dying. Use body language, dialogue, and the senses if you can.
• Show how a grieving person is unable to stick to their daily routine. Let them wake up to the loss and then show how they go about trying to get ready for the day.
• Show a moment where a grieving person is pulled out of the well of despair by something that happens that gives them a story goal .
• Write 12 diary entries on the first day of each month after the character has lost their loved one. Show how they change over the year.

Top Tip : Use our  Character Creation Kit to create great characters for your stories.

If you liked this blogger’s writing, you may enjoy:

• 10 Perfect Writing Prompts For Thanksgiving
• The Romantic Hero
• Fictional Pillars For Writers
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• Banned Books Week – The 10 Most Challenged Titles Of 2020
• What Is Procrastination & How Do Writers Beat It?
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• Mystery, Horror, Thriller – What’s The Difference?
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• How To Tell If You’re Writing About The Wrong Character

Top Tip : Find out more about our  workbooks  and  online courses  in our  shop .

• Body Language , Creating Characters , Description , Featured Post , Show Don't Tell , Writing Tips from Amanda Patterson

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Essays About Losing a Loved One: Top 5 Examples

Writing essays about losing a loved one can be challenging; discover our helpful guide with essay examples and writing prompts to help you begin writing. 

One of the most basic facts of life is that it is unpredictable. Nothing on this earth is permanent, and any one of us can pass away in the blink of an eye. But unfortunately, they leave behind many family members and friends who will miss them very much whenever someone dies.

The most devastating news can ruin our best days, affecting us negatively for the next few months and years. When we lose a loved one, we also lose a part of ourselves. Even if the loss can make you feel hopeless at times, finding ways to cope healthily, distract yourself, and move on while still honoring and remembering the deceased is essential.

5 Top Essay Examples

1. losing a loved one by louis barker, 2. personal reflections on coping and loss by adrian furnham , 3. losing my mom helped me become a better parent by trish mann, 4. reflection – dealing with grief and loss by joe joyce.

• 5. ​​Will We Always Hurt on The Anniversary of Losing a Loved One? by Anne Peterson

1. Is Resilience Glorified in Society?

2. how to cope with a loss, 3. reflection on losing a loved one, 4. the stages of grief, 5. the circle of life, 6. how different cultures commemorate losing a loved one.

“I managed to keep my cool until I realized why I was seeing these familiar faces. Once the service started I managed to keep my emotions in tack until I saw my grandmother break down. I could not even look up at her because I thought about how I would feel in the same situation. Your life can change drastically at any moment. Do not take life or the people that you love for granted, you are only here once.”

Barker reflects on how he found out his uncle had passed away. The writer describes the events leading up to the discovery, contrasting the relaxed, cheerful mood and setting that enveloped the house with the feelings of shock, dread, and devastation that he and his family felt once they heard. He also recalls his family members’ different emotions and mannerisms at the memorial service and funeral. 

“Most people like to believe that they live in a just, orderly and stable world where good wins out in the end. But what if things really are random? Counselors and therapists talk about the grief process and grief stages. Given that nearly all of us have experienced major loss and observed it in others, might one expect that people would be relatively sophisticated in helping the grieving?”

Furnham, a psychologist, discusses the stages of grief and proposes six different responses to finding out about one’s loss or suffering: avoidance, brief encounters, miracle cures, real listeners, practical help, and “giving no quarter.” He discusses this in the context of his wife’s breast cancer diagnosis, after which many people displayed these responses. Finally, Furnham mentions the irony that although we have all experienced and observed losing a loved one, no one can help others grieve perfectly.

“When I look in the mirror, I see my mom looking back at me from coffee-colored eyes under the oh-so-familiar crease of her eyelid. She is still here in me. Death does not take what we do not relinquish. I have no doubt she is sitting beside me when I am at my lowest telling me, ‘You can do this. You got this. I believe in you.’”

In Mann’s essay, she tries to see the bright side of her loss; despite the anguish she experienced due to her mother’s passing. Expectedly, she was incredibly depressed and had difficulty accepting that her mom was gone. But, on the other hand, she began to channel her mom into parenting her children, evoking the happy memories they once shared. She is also amused to see the parallels between her and her kids with her and her mother growing up. 

“Now I understood that these feelings must be allowed expression for as long as a person needs. I realized that the “don’t cry” I had spoken on many occasions in the past was not of much help to grieving persons, and that when I had used those words I had been expressing more my own discomfort with feelings of grief and loss than paying attention to the need of mourners to express them.”

Joyce, a priest, writes about the time he witnessed the passing of his cousin on his deathbed. Having experienced this loss right as it happened, he was understandably shaken and realized that all his preachings of “don’t cry” were unrealistic. He compares this instance to a funeral he attended in Pakistan, recalling the importance of letting grief take its course while not allowing it to consume you. 

5. ​​ Will We Always Hurt on The Anniversary of Losing a Loved One? by Anne Peterson

“Death. It’s certain. And we can’t do anything about that. In fact, we are not in control of many of the difficult circumstances of our lives, but we are responsible for how we respond to them. And I choose to honor their memory.”

Peterson discusses how she feels when she has to commemorate the anniversary of losing a loved one. She recalls the tragic deaths of her sister, two brothers, and granddaughter and describes her guilt and anger. Finally, she prays to God, asking him to help her; because of a combination of prayer and self-reflection, she can look back on these times with peace and hope that they will reunite one day. 

6 Thought-Provoking Writing Prompts on Essays About Losing A Loved One

Society tends to praise those who show resilience and strength, especially in times of struggle, such as losing a loved one. However, praising a person’s resilience can prevent them from feeling the pain of loss and grief. This essay explores how glorifying resilience can prevent a person from healing from painful events. Be sure to include examples of this issue in society and your own experiences, if applicable.

Loss is always tricky, especially involving someone close to your heart. Reflect on your personal experiences and how you overcame your grief for an effective essay. Create an essay to guide readers on how to cope with loss. If you can’t pull ideas from your own experiences, research and read other people’s experiences with overcoming loss in life.

If you have experienced losing a loved one, use this essay to describe how it made you feel. Discuss how you reacted to this loss and how it has impacted who you are today. Writing an essay like this may be sensitive for many. If you don’t feel comfortable with this topic, you can write about and analyze the loss of a loved one in a book, movie, or TV show you have seen. 

When we lose a loved one, grief is expected. There are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Discuss each one and how they all connect. You can write a compelling essay by including examples of how the different stages are manifested in books, television, and maybe even your own experiences. 

Death is often regarded as a part of a so-called “circle of life,” most famously shown through the film, The Lion King . In summary, it explains that life goes on and always ends with death. For an intriguing essay topic, reflect on this phrase and discuss what it means to you in the context of losing a loved one. For example, perhaps keeping this in mind can help you cope with the loss. 

Different cultures have different traditions, affected by geography, religion, and history. Funerals are no exception to this; in your essay, research how different cultures honor their deceased and compare and contrast them. No matter how different they may seem, try finding one or two similarities between your chosen traditions. 

If you’d like to learn more, our writer explains how to write an argumentative essay in this guide.For help picking your next essay topic, check out our 20 engaging essay topics about family .

Grief and Loss: Personal Experience Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Introduction

Every person faces situations of loss and grief at some time in his or her life. A person passes all stages of grief from denial to acceptance to cope with grief and return to life. I was 36 when I experienced the first serious loss in my life. Certainly, there were other ones before this event, but they did not influence me strongly. Thus, my grandmother died two years ago. She lived in the United States and died in her home. She was diagnosed with lung cancer half a year before her death, and despite the treatment she took and the first successes, she did not manage to fight the disease. We were very emotionally close as a grandmother and a granddaughter. I wish I had the same relationships with my grandchildren if I have any. We could share secrets, ask for advice, and talk about everything in the world.

I believe I experienced some impacts that should be mentioned about this loss. The first immediate impact was psychological. I was stressed by the event and could not behave as usual. Although I knew that this outcome was inevitable, it was difficult to acknowledge that I would not talk to her over the cup of tea in her kitchen again. Despite my family and friends who were very supportive, I felt lonely and was getting depressed. Another immediate impact was physical. I remember I lost appetite and had some sleep problems during the first days, but later I managed to cope with that condition and returned to normal life. Finally, the impact that came to power overtime was a spiritual one. At first, I was questioning my spiritual beliefs. However, I suppose I came to a conscious need of religion and strengthened my spiritual beliefs after my grandmother passed away. I cannot say I became passionately religious, but a short silent prayer before I went to bed was calming.

Although I was an adult woman and realized the inevitability of a lethal outcome, the death of my grandmother was a great loss for me. I knew I had to do something to deal with it and live my usual life. First of all, I remembered that she would not have been happy if I cried. My grandmother was an optimistic person and could make other people smile. So I spend some evenings with my mother looking at grandmother’s photos and remembering some warm and funny moments of our life together. It was useful for coping with the loss both for me and my mother. Also, I took my grandmother’s dog to live with me. People say that a dog resembles its owner, and this dog became another reminder of grandmother’s happy days and our walks in the park.

I believe people around me were also affected by this event. My grandmother had an active social life and worked in a community center after she retired. Thus, many of her colleagues and friends were also in grief because she was a real thought leader in the center, and her death was a loss for them as well as for the community as a whole. Her colleagues from the community center planted roses to commemorate my grandmother because she planned to create a rose alley but the disease did not let her accomplish the plan. The rest of our family were also in shock and despair. Our grandmother had the talent to unite people and contributed to our being one big family. Certainly, we remained a family after she passed on but our further meetings lacked some particular ingredient, which she used to bring in. Also, I became closer with my mother. This loss helped me to understand that we should spend as much time with our close people as we can because life is unpredictable and nobody knows when it will finish.

Looking back at that time, I am grateful to the people who managed to support me and were helpful. For example, my grandmother’s friends, colleagues, and just acquaintances were supportive both before and after a funeral. They were telling stories about their experiences with my grandmother and made me believe that she would not have wanted me to grieve and to cry. In fact, these people helped me to recover. Two of her best friends still phone me on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I usually send them small presents on holidays. My best friend was very helpful by being near and asking no questions about my feelings until I was ready to discuss them. Still, she was always trying to make me a sandwich or a cup of tea because I had no appetite at that time, and she helped me to live the first days after the loss, which were the most complicated. Certainly, my family was supportive as well. Grandmother’s death was a loss for all of us and the opportunity to share grief was valuable.

Apart from the people who were helpful at that time, there were some who managed to hurt me, although not intentionally. Thus, my grandmother’s neighbor spoke to me and said that the grandmother was already old and that I should not have been in such grief. At that time, I could not percept these words normally and became even more upset. Two years later I came to realize that the woman tried to comfort me and said that my grandmother lived a long and happy life in a big family and achieved everything a woman could desire and that I should accept the situation and not be angry or disappointed.

I developed some rituals, which proved to be helpful at that time. One of them included our meetings with my mother. She was in grief as well, and we had an opportunity to speak about something that was worrying us. We gathered together once in a week or two, stayed home watching grandmother’s photos, or went for a walk to her favorite places. Later we could talk not only about our feelings of loss and grief but just enjoy our time together. I should admit that we became very close during those two years. Another ritual was bringing the flowers. My grandmother loved the flowers, and I went to the cemetery at least once a month to bring fresh flowers. I felt a need to do it, and these visits made me feel better.

My grandmother and I were very close. I even kept her photo in a wallet. After her death, this small picture of her smiling became a link, which helped me feel connected to my grandmother. It provided me with the comfort my grandmother managed to give to all of us when she was alive. Another connection was her dog I took to live in my house. It was a real friend of my grandmother and having him provided me with some comfort.

At present, I have preserved my ritual of visiting a cemetery and bringing flowers. It is the only thing I can do for her now. She always loved the flowers, and it is my pleasure to select them and imagine how happy she could have been to see them. Our meetings with the mother are also a kind of a ritual. Still, they are not always connected with our loss, we just enjoy spending time together.

I believe I experienced normal grief. I did not have a long denial stage, did not avoid my grandmother’s favorite places, my grief did not have a negative impact on my relationships with other people, and the emptiness I felt did not last long. The first days after my grandmother’s death was complicated, but support from my family and friends was helpful. Despite the fact that I knew that her death was just a matter of time, it was difficult to acknowledge that it came so fast. However, as a person involved in healthcare, I knew it was a good outcome for her before the severe pain came.

Remembering these past events, I realize that I could have acted differently at that time. During the first days, I was concentrated on my grief and did not know that my mother also felt bad because her mother died. As far as I can judge, I have skipped some stages of grief, or they were not distinct. Thus, I do not remember any absolute denial. I was shocked by the sad news, but it did not last long. After denial, anger came. I remember this feeling well enough. I was angry because, despite the wide choice of treatments for cancer, it did not help my close person. The stage of bargaining was not very evident in my experience. I returned to work at that time and tried to work as much as I could to avoid the sad thoughts. Still, I was sometimes asking the questions, such as what if the disease could have been diagnosed earlier or the treatment had been more effective?). However, I did not have the answers except that everything could have been different. I have experienced a short stage of depression, but it was quickly followed by acceptance and did not influence me much.

I believe the course was useful for me because I managed to discover some secret sides of my personality. After analyzing the situation of loss and grief, I realize that I am stronger than I expected. I have learned that I am a personality able to solve the complicated problems. Moreover, I realized that, in fact, every problem has a solution until a person passes away. After death, the only problem is to manage one’s grief and the feeling of loss. However, having the knowledge from the course, in case a similar situation happens, I will be able to act thoughtfully. Also, I will be more useful to other people in grief because I will be able to manage my feelings and thus help them overcome complicated situations related to grief and loss of something or somebody significant.

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IvyPanda. (2021, May 14). Grief and Loss: Personal Experience. https://ivypanda.com/essays/grief-and-loss/

"Grief and Loss: Personal Experience." IvyPanda , 14 May 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/grief-and-loss/.

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IvyPanda . 2021. "Grief and Loss: Personal Experience." May 14, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/grief-and-loss/.

1. IvyPanda . "Grief and Loss: Personal Experience." May 14, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/grief-and-loss/.

Bibliography

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Sheryl Sandberg’s essay on grief is one of the best things I’ve read about marriage

by Amanda Taub

When my closest friend got married a few years ago, I asked her if anything felt different after the ceremony. “Yes,” she said. “Realizing that my best-case scenario is now that I die first.” Her tone was flip, and we both laughed. But there was truth to what she said.

I love my husband so much that I hesitate to write about him — it feels unseemly, like bragging. It is impossibly painful to even imagine life without him: his presence is the source of my greatest joy in life, just as the idea of losing him is one of my worst fears. The best-case scenario is that I die first.

Sheryl Sandberg lost her beloved husband, Dave Goldberg, 30 days ago. To mark that occasion, she has written one of the best essays I have ever read about what it feels like to confront that terrible fear, and to deal with the profound grief that comes from losing someone you love. Her description of her grief since Goldberg’s death feels true not just as a statement of what it is like to lose someone you love, but also what it means to deeply love someone, and the value that our loved ones hold in our lives.

A childhood friend of mine who is now a rabbi recently told me that the most powerful one-line prayer he has ever read is: “Let me not die while I am still alive.” I would have never understood that prayer before losing Dave . Now I do. I think when tragedy occurs, it presents a choice. You can give in to the void, the emptiness that fills your heart, your lungs, constricts your ability to think or even breathe. Or you can try to find meaning. These past thirty days, I have spent many of my moments lost in that void. And I know that many future moments will be consumed by the vast emptiness as well. But when I can, I want to choose life and meaning.

Strangely enough, the perfect companion piece to Sandberg’s essay is not about loss, but about the joy of having children. Michelle Goldberg (no relation to Dave Goldberg) wrote in New York Magazine last week about what inspired her and her husband to grow their family.

“Not long ago,” she writes , “I learned the Arabic word Ya’aburnee . Literally, ‘you bury me,’ it means wanting to die before a loved one so as not to have to face the world without him or her in it.”

Goldberg realized that those words captured her feelings for her husband, and that having a child would be a way to bring more of him into the world — and a way to hold on to part of him if someday she lost him.

Goldberg and her husband now have two children, and they have enriched her life, she writes, in ways she would never have believed possible. “Before there was one person in the world for whom I would use the word Ya’aburnee , and now there are three.”

Reading Sandberg’s essay with Goldberg’s is a reminder that the pain of loss is a worthwhile price to pay for the joy of love and marriage. Although Sandberg’s husband has died, the life they built together still remains. Her essay closes with a moving promise to support what they built, and the children they had together, even as she mourns him:

I can’t even express the gratitude I feel to my family and friends who have done so much and reassured me that they will continue to be there. In the brutal moments when I am overtaken by the void, when the months and years stretch out in front of me endless and empty, only their faces pull me out of the isolation and fear. My appreciation for them knows no bounds. I was talking to one of these friends about a father-child activity that Dave is not here to do. We came up with a plan to fill in for Dave. I cried to him, “But I want Dave. I want option A.” He put his arm around me and said, “Option A is not available. So let’s just kick the shit out of option B.” Dave, to honor your memory and raise your children as they deserve to be raised, I promise to do all I can to kick the shit out of option B. And even though sheloshim has ended, I still mourn for option A. I will always mourn for option A. As Bono sang, “There is no end to grief . . . and there is no end to love.” I love you, Dave.

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104 Grief Research Topics & Essay Examples

📝 grief research papers examples, 🏆 best grief essay titles, 🎓 simple research topics about grief, ❓ grief research questions.

• Loss & Grief and the Ways of Coping with Them Psychology essay sample: The reaction of people depends on their psychological state, personal abilities, and relationships with the person who has died.
• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Bereavement Psychology essay sample: In diagnosing bereavement, the first complication is drawing the line between grieving as the ‘normal' reaction and the traumatic distressed caused by the death of the loved one.
• Consolation for Bereaved Parents Psychology essay sample: In this article, the author defines sudden infant death syndrome and discusses how best to communicate sad news to parents.
• Models of Human Development Psychology essay sample: This paper explores civilization from the perspective of both Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson while also explaining the concept of grieving.
• Adaptive Grieving Models for Social Workers Psychology essay sample: Social workers while working with grieving persons must have exemplary understanding and knowledge of the factors that affect different people's grief approaches.
• Death, Dying and Bereavement Psychology essay sample: Dealing with a loved one’s death is a difficult process that involves strong feelings of anger, guilt, and sorrow.
• Suicide and Long Term Grief in Significant Others in Relation to Dying Psychology essay sample: The reasons behind suicide and the qualitative essence of suicide-related grief cannot be assessed outside of affected people’s ability to operate with highly abstract categories.
• Loss: The Characteristic’s Review Psychology essay sample: Loss is an inherent characteristic of every aspect of life. It refers to depreciation in value or attenuation in the physical number.
• Understanding of Personal Loss by Terms Psychology essay sample: Grief is an emotional response to loss, sometimes it portrays spiritual, social, physical, and behavioral dimensions. The terms are critical towards understanding personal loss.
• Crisis Intervention - Learning to Live With Unresolved Grief Psychology essay sample: Mourning can be described as a state in which the individual’s ability to handle a loss of a loved one is impaired.
• Bereavement and Grief: Review Psychology essay sample: Bereavement is a time of grief and mourning as a result of the death of a beloved individual or animal. During this period, those affected try to come to terms with their loss.
• Model to Guide the Grieving Cycle Psychology essay sample: One of the renowned stories about grief in the Bible is the story of Job. This paper compares and contrasts Job’s grieving story with Kubler-Ross’s model of the grieving cycle.
• The Work of Kübler-Ross’ Grieving Process and the Stages of Grief Psychology essay sample: The paper compares and contrasts the grieving process as defined by Kübler-Ross and the story of Job with that of one other religion.
• Coping with Grief and Bereavement Psychology essay sample: Humans experience grief and bereavement in certain situations. In psychology and psychiatric work, these terms are important in helping individuals cope with sad occurrences.
• What Does Healthy Grieving Look Like? Psychology essay sample: When human beings experience loss, especially through death, they undergo a period of grieving to cope with the situation.
• Getting Bereavement Support From People in Social Networks Psychology essay sample: People in social networks can be highly helpful as far as bereavement support is concerned. This is because they offer both material and emotional support.
• Types of Bereavement, Grief, and Loss Psychology essay sample: The period of bereavement often depends on several factors, such as the relationship between a person and the departed one, or the nature of death
• Grief of the Loss of Loved Ones Psychology essay sample: Some conditions of the loss include bereavement, uncomplicated bereavement, grief, complicated grief, and prolonged pain
• Grieving Process, Stages, and Wolterstorff's Reflections Psychology essay sample: According to Kubler-Ross & Kessler, the grieving process takes five stages to be complete. These stages are denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
• Personal Loss, Bereavement and Grief Psychology essay sample: Loss can be taken as a phenomenon that is common to the human race, but the reactions of different people to it vary in the extent of mourning and grief.
• Bereavement, Loss and Grief Psychology essay sample: Bereavement can be defined as the psychological process that affects people when they lose someone who is very dear to them
• Grief Response of Patients Diagnosed With Cancer Psychology essay sample: The beginning of anticipatory grief begins when as children, we realize that we will all die or lose a loved one at some point in life. This should prepare us for the loss.
• Death, Dying and Grieving in Terms of Life Span Development Psychology essay sample: Life span inevitably includes issues of death, dying, and grieving. The way people perceive them depends on their psychological development during their whole existence.
• Narrative Therapy: Managing Grief of Losing a Partner Psychology essay sample: In this paper, narrative therapy is examined through the lens of grief counseling. It focuses on patient Kelly and her experience of attachment to a deceased partner.
• Grief and Loss and How Children Can Recover From Them Psychology essay sample: A child can demonstrate unpredictable behaviors upon losing a loved one, such as crying for a minute before playing, which makes it challenging to address children's grief.
• Interpersonal Relationships: Dealing with Grief Psychology essay sample: Interpersonal relationships need maximum determination to nurture and sustain, and they are regarded as a connection between people.
• Grief Therapy Using Artistic Expression Psychology essay sample: Group interventions that facilitate artistic expression could be a robust practice framework for grief therapy. Such interventions help in the reduction of feelings of isolation.
• Grief, Mourning, and Bereavement Psychology essay sample: The loss of a loved one is an animal that unpacks our fears and sorrow and makes life look meaningless. Death can significantly change who we are.
• Critical Reflection on Complicated Grief-Mourning Psychology essay sample: There are different procedures that are effective in diagnosing and ensuring an appropriate intervention plan for complicated grieving.
• Grief Counseling: Tina and Graham Case Study Psychology essay sample: The paper will discuss the approaches used for the counseling process, goals and objectives, obstacles, self-care strategies, and grief counseling techniques.
• The Process of Death, Dying and Grieving Psychology essay sample: There are five stages that both terminally ill patients and relatives of the deceased follow sequentially constitute denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
• Grief Counseling: A Case Study Psychology essay sample: The current case study incorporates the patient, Mrs. Smith, a woman in her early sixties who has recently lost her husband and finds herself alone for the first time in her life.
• Islamic Psychology and Its Contributors Psychology essay sample: The current paper states that Islamic psychology is a complex topic as there are numerous contributors that created a broad legacy of teachings.
• Role of Group Therapy in Human Health Psychology essay sample: When struggling with challenging life events, people often feel alone, unsupported, and weak in their attempts to handle psychological issues.
• Art Therapy With Children Experiencing Grief
• Religion and the Grief It Brings
• Association Between Prolonged Grief and Attitudes Toward Reconciliation
• Grief and Palliative Care
• Bereavement and Grief: Counselling and Therapy
• Parental Loss and Childhood Grief
• Therapeutic Tales and Psychotrauma in the State of Mourning to Children
• Grief: Its Nature and Significance
• Compassion Fatigue Resulting From Disenfranchised Grief
• Coping Mechanisms for Grief
• Grief Severity, Depression, and Posttraumatic Growth
• Counseling Grief and Divorce Recovery Group
• Death and Grief as a Natural Part of Life
• Grief: Lessons From the Past, Visions for the Future
• Death and the Grief of Survivors
• Pathological Grief: Diagnosis and Explanation
• Denial, Anger, and the Stages of Grief
• Depression, Hopelessness, and Complicated Grief in Survivors of Suicide
• Suicide and Normal Grief Reactions
• Developmental Issues That Impact Childhood Grief
• The Varieties of Grief Experience
• Psychological and Physical Effects of Loss and Grief
• Facilitating the Grief Process After a Loss
• Family-Focused Therapy Models Within the Context of Grief
• Freud and His Complete Theory of Grief Bereavement
• Attitudes Towards Death and Bereavement
• Mourning Rites and Customs
• The Grief of Parents Who Lost Their Only Child
• Grief Counseling Practices and Effectiveness
• Grief Support for Youths and Young Adults
• Bereavement Support and Quality Palliative Care
• Grief Counselors and the Prevention of Suicide
• Grief Therapy for Those Whose Loved Ones Are Dying
• Exploring Mourning Practices Through Social Media
• Grief Models and Theories
• Inevitable Loss and Prolonged Grief in Police Work
• Loss and Grief Expressed in Poetry
• Reduction of Symptoms During the Treatment of Traumatic Grief in Refugees
• Relationship Between Joy and Grief
• Can Grief Be Measured?
• What Happens to the Brain During Grief?
• How to Support a Person Who Is Experiencing Loss and Grief?
• Can the Effects of Grief Be Short-Lived?
• How Does Grief From Violent Deaths Differ From Other Deaths?
• What Are the Stages of Grief and Loss?
• How Have New Technologies Changed Dying and Mourning?
• How to Overcome Grief?
• Can Grief Be Controlled?
• Does Everyone Follow Five Stages of Grief?
• What’s the Difference Between Grief and Depression?
• What Do Philosophers Say About Grief?
• Is Grief the Most Powerful Emotion?
• What Is the Grief Hormone?
• Where Does Grief Stay in the Body?
• How Does Grief Shape a Person?
• What Is Dysfunctional Grief?
• Does Crying Relieve Grief?
• How Does Grief Rewire the Brain?
• What Are the Traditional and Cultural Aspects of Death and Grief?
• What Is the Prevention of Grief?
• Is It Possible to Turn Grief Into Happiness?
• What Are the Complex Symptoms of Grief?
• What Are the Long-Term Consequences of Unresolved Grief?
• Does Grief Transfer Across Generations?
• What Is the Concept of Disenfranchised Grief?
• How Do People Cope With Grief and Loss?
• What Is the Historical and Cultural Perspective of Grief?
• Does Grief Counseling Work?
• What Is the Evolution of Grief Theory in Psychology From Freud to Modern Times?

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Sometimes dealing with grief on our own can feel like we’re alone. Writing about loss, death, sadness, and grief can feel intimidating because we’re excavating our deepest vulnerabilities, and this means confronting buried emotions. It might be difficult to process the wide range of emotions that accompany loss—everything from sadness to anger to relief. However, finding a place to allow these feelings to land can be liberating—not only for one’s writing, but also cathartic personally.

In this personal essay course, we will learn how to tell the stories that impact us the most through creative writing about grief, pain, and loss. The objective of this course is to mine our feelings of loss and try to capture them onto the page. This course will give participants the permission and tools to become more comfortable about writing death and loss. Through the course of eight weeks, we will read other writers and their essays on the subject of loss, death, and grief, and delve into the stories that individual participants would like to explore.

Students will receive feedback on short writing exercises based on prompts, as well as the chance to workshop an essay with the instructor during the class. Participants will leave this class learning how to tackle death, loss, grief in the space of a personal essay. Students will learn how to make the personal universal. There will be also class discussion on the materials. Students will receive extensive feedback on two essays during the 8-week period.

I highly suggest this class, so much so, I’m gifting it to a friend. Don’t hesitate. Take this class! —Linda Ragsdale

Weekly Zoom Meeting Schedule

The course’s weekly Zoom meetings will take place  on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM Eastern time.  Meetings will be one hour to 90 minutes in length.

Creative Writing About Grief: Course Syllabus

Week 1: welcome and introductions/why write nonfiction essays stemming from loss or tragedy.

How do past journal or diary entries help you excavate the grief you’d like to write about in your essay? Work on in-class writing prompt on three pivotal moments that seem compelling for you to excavate in an essay.

Week 2: Different ways to brainstorm our grief to write our best essays.

Writing about grief is often difficult and sometimes it takes work to pen our most difficult feelings. In this session, students will learn techniques re: brainstorming on their essay topic. It will include information on mind mapping, traditional outline structure, and using photographs to generate story ideas.

Week 3: How to begin the grief essay?

Knowing where to start the grief essay is important. We will look at various essays and how they begin. How do we engage the reader with the very first sentence of our grief essay?

Week 4: Navigating the middle of our grief essay and the narrative arc.

For an essay to feel genuine to the reader and the writer, the narrative arc has to hit the right points. We will work through the middle of our essays to excavate the tension sometimes the middle poses when writing about grief.

Week 5: Giving ourselves room to breathe when writing grief essays.

Sometimes creative writing about grief raises difficult emotions/feelings. What to do when we feel stuck? How to forge forward as we navigate our emotions and confront sadness and truth in our writing. We will cover strategies on how to handle this grief in a way that will channel our best essay writing and focus on healing too.    

Week 6: Looking at endings in our essays.

Grief is something that doesn’t end and how do we capture that sentiment in our essays? This is tricky terrain, especially as we are trying to navigate our feelings in our endings even though the grief lingers outside the page.  

Week 7: Putting it all together.

How does they essay come across in terms of prose and lyricism? We will look at how the essay is elevated through metaphors and the use of craft.

Week 8: Looking at markets and the feeling after publication of our grief essays.

We will talk publication and markets and whether you’re in the right mental place to publish your essays. How do we navigate the questions that come after readers read our vulnerable pieces on grief?

Why Take a Creative Writing Course with Writers.com?

• We welcome writers of all backgrounds and experience levels, and we are here for one reason: to support you on your writing journey.
• Small groups keep our online writing classes lively and intimate.
• Work through your weekly written lectures, course materials, and writing assignments at your own pace.
• Share and discuss your work with classmates in a supportive class environment.
• Award-winning instructor Rudri Patel will offer you direct, personal feedback and suggestions on every assignment you submit.

Student Feedback for Rudri Patel:

I cannot recommend working with Rudri enough, she is one of the best writing teachers that I have ever had. Leena Trivedi-Grenier

Rudri is genuine and compassionate, sharing her stories and helping students find a way to hold their grief, and release some of its anchors. I highly suggest Writing Our Grief , so much so, I’m gifting it to a friend. Don’t hesitate. Take this class!  Linda Ragsdale

The course exceeded my expectations. Rudri's practical, supportive, and encouraging style is just what I needed to build confidence and practice in my writing. Rudri is exceptionally perceptive, warm, and generous as a teacher. Rudri helps you believe in yourself as a writer and to build long-term habits after the course.  Tom O'Shea

Rudri's teaching style is warm, personal, informed, generous, and comprehensive. She wants her students to have a safe place to dig into their grief and to give written voice to it, to learn the craft of writing about grief with an eye for publication. She challenged us to experiment with new forms, and set the tone for a supportive class partnership. I highly recommend this class.  Dianne King

Rudri created a wonderful workshop atmosphere. I received specific feedback on each of my writing assignments and felt supported and encouraged throughout the six-week course. I'm amazed at how much I learned in this short time period.  Theresa Connors

Rudri is a real gem. Her management of the class given the difficulty of the material was exceptional. She was always encouraging to all the students.  Larry Ricci

Rudri's combination of compassion and solid tangible technique furthered my continuing development as a writer. If you want to take an MFA level class with an instructor who cares enough to guide you kindly but sure-footedly to the edges of your comfort zones---then this class is for you. You will come out on the other side a much improved writer. Christina Cavallaro

Rudri is kind so she reads with her heart as well as her head. As well as providing editorial expertise, she reads with empathy. I found this mattered more than I thought it would. I am so thankful for this course and everything I learned in class and from the community of other writers within the class.  Sarah Harley

Rudri is intelligent and perceptive. Her lectures are well organized but not rigid. She is present to the individual students' needs, and her offering of a one-on-one meeting is the cherry on the cake. She is a very generous teacher, and I would and will certainly recommend her courses and take them again myself.  Barbara Moroncini

A must take course! Our instructor, Rudri Patel, led the course with such brilliance, commitment and sensitivity. Each lesson was well organized. Ms. Patel went above and beyond with weekly zoom classes, and she added her personal experiences as a writer so freely. Cynthia Slack

Rudri has a way of fostering discussion and motivating her students to produce more and better work. By the end of the first week alone, I’d completely revised my daily writing strategy, reduced procrastination, and felt better equipped to achieve some pretty ambitious writing goals. I’m confident that 2021 will be my best writing year to-date.  Jessica Fiorillo

This workshop was everything I wanted and more!  Not only is Rudri an excellent instructor and writer, but she is a wonderful human being. Rudri provided a safe place for everyone to freely express themselves, giving 200% of herself and modeling for students her courage and vulnerability.  Cynthia Bassett

Awesome! Rudri is a great teacher.  Natalie Ellis

This class, and Rudri’s compassion and ability to create a safe space, helped me work through levels of grief that I didn’t realize I still had. I made connections between past and present losses that I hadn’t made before, which has helped me to grieve at a deeper level. My writing has benefited from the exercises and Rudri’s encouragement to write my truth. This was an excellent class, and I hope to work with Rudri again in the future.  Andi Reed

I learned so much in Rudri's class, not just about bullet journaling but about setting goals and establishing habits that nurture and sustain the writing life. Rudri created a welcoming space to discuss not just the ins and outs of bullet journaling, but also how to build habits that nurture creativity and self-care. I highly recommend it for writers and everyone!  Daisy Florin

Rudri Bhatt Patel has been a mentor, coach, and editor for my writing projects for almost ten years. Under the skillful guidance of her expertise, candor, and gentle spirit, I have made great gains in refining and expanding my short stories to publication as well as completing a novel. In addition, as co-members of a critique group for several years, Rudri consistently offered in depth and valuable feedback to me and others on a biweekly basis. Her comprehensive written feedback was always delivered with a sensitivity and respect for each person’s creative expression, while authentically providing insight into strengths and areas that needed development. Trish Dolansinski

Rudri is the editor and teacher everyone wishes they would discover. Her warm engaging style meets spot-on feedback has done more for me in 6 weeks than I can begin to describe. Rudri's approach to giving feedback is supportive in a way that both inspires and lifts while being grounded in solid practical suggestions to help elevate your work.  Christina Cavallaro

I recommend Rudri Bhatt Patel without reservation. She is knowledgeable, articulate and experienced in all things writing and publishing. Her kindness as well as her professionalism and expertise make working with her a delight. Susan Pohlman

Rudri's knowledge and skills related to professional writing have also helped me with my own writing career many times in the past. Julie Vick

Over the past ten years I have had numerous opportunities to interact with Rudri Batt Patel during writing classes, book critiques, and writer networking sessions. She has a profound ability to engage as a learner, presenter, and facilitator. Her own writing skills are exceptional and her variety of published works enable her to assist developing writers in multiple ways. Phyllis Schwartz

Rudri Patel is an organized and seasoned presenter with years of writing and publishing experience. I’ve been lucky enough to have Rudri in my critique circle for over a decade and I’m a stronger writer because of it. Windy Lynn Harris

Rudri has a wonderful way of bringing out the best in her colleagues without criticism - a skill I appreciate as a veteran of the classroom myself. Jenn Morson

“I loved Rudri Patel. She helped me take my writing to another level. She was full of knowledge, encouragement, constructive criticism and quickly identified my strengths. I highly recommend her.” —Nancy Wynn

About Rudri Patel

Rudri Patel is a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at  Literary Mama  and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal,  The Sunlight Press , her essays and reported work have appeared in  The Washington Post, Business Insider, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, ESPN, Parents  and elsewhere. Rudri is currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces.

Rudri's Courses

These Fragments: From Journal Pages to Personal Essays Six Flash Essays in Six Weeks Writing About Family *Private Class | Writing Our Grief: How to Channel Loss into Creative Expression *Private Class | Using Bullet Journaling to Achieve Writing Goals *Private Class | From Pitch to Publication: Writing Narrative Journalism *Private Class | Write Your World: Express Your Creativity through Article Writing, Blogging, and Essays Writing Our Grief: How to Channel Loss into Creative Expression Using Bullet Journaling to Achieve Writing Goals From Pitch to Publication: Writing Narrative Journalism Write Your World: Express Your Creativity through Article Writing, Blogging, and Essays Move Your Writing Forward: The Art of the Bullet Journal

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Beth Gousman

Tyler Feder's "Dancing at the Pity Party" won the 2021 Sydney Taylor award for YA and would be an appropriate addition to this list.

Posted : Jan 26, 2021 08:04

sherry cormier

Sweet Sorrow: Finding Enduring Wholeness after Loss and Grief. (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018)_

Posted : Jan 20, 2021 09:43

Ethan Smith

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

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