[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":300},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-letter-to-someone-who-died":3,"related-letter-to-someone-who-died":134},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"category":116,"ctaDescription":117,"ctaLabel":118,"ctaTitle":119,"ctaUrl":120,"date":121,"description":122,"draft":123,"extension":124,"image":125,"imageAlt":126,"meta":127,"navigation":128,"path":129,"relatedLinks":130,"seo":131,"stem":132,"updated":130,"__hash__":133},"blog/blog/letter-to-someone-who-died.md","How to Write a Letter to Someone Who Died","The Rescript Team",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":107},"minimark",[10,14,17,22,25,28,32,35,38,42,61,64,68,74,80,83,87,90,93],[11,12,13],"p",{},"A letter to someone who died can hold what you still want to tell them: ordinary news, a memory, an unfinished conversation, or the fact that you do not know what to say. You do not need to find a final goodbye.",[11,15,16],{},"This is an optional way to remember and express yourself. It does not require a particular belief about whether someone can hear you, and it is not a treatment for grief.",[18,19,21],"h2",{"id":20},"start-with-today","Start with today",[11,23,24],{},"You can begin with the present instead of retelling the death. “Today I noticed…” or “Something happened that I wanted to tell you…” may be easier than explaining everything you have felt since the loss.",[11,26,27],{},"Small details belong here. The food they liked, a phrase you caught yourself saying, or a change in a familiar place can carry enough for a whole page.",[18,29,31],{"id":30},"make-room-for-an-imperfect-relationship","Make room for an imperfect relationship",[11,33,34],{},"You do not have to describe the person as flawless. A letter can include love, anger, disappointment, gratitude, or uncertainty. If you have mixed feelings, you can write “I do not know how to hold these two things together yet.”",[11,36,37],{},"Nor do you have to forgive something because the person has died. The page can record what is unresolved without instructing you to resolve it.",[18,39,41],{"id":40},"five-possible-beginnings","Five possible beginnings",[43,44,45,49,52,55,58],"ol",{},[46,47,48],"li",{},"“The thing I reached to tell you today was…”",[46,50,51],{},"“I still remember the way you…”",[46,53,54],{},"“What I wish we had talked about is…”",[46,56,57],{},"“Something I am angry about, even now, is…”",[46,59,60],{},"“For today, I want to remember…”",[11,62,63],{},"Choose one. You can stop after a sentence or leave the letter open. There is no required order and no requirement to write about the most painful memory.",[18,65,67],{"id":66},"an-ordinary-news-example","An ordinary-news example",[11,69,70],{},[71,72,73],"em",{},"An illustrative passage:",[75,76,77],"blockquote",{},[11,78,79],{},"The plant on the kitchen shelf finally has a new leaf. You would have told me I was watering it too much. I wanted to send you a picture this morning. I am writing that here because the impulse still arrives before I remember.",[11,81,82],{},"A letter does not need an insight at the end. Sometimes the purpose is simply to give that ordinary impulse somewhere to go.",[18,84,86],{"id":85},"choose-what-happens-afterward","Choose what happens afterward",[11,88,89],{},"You might save the letter, put it away, share it with someone you trust, or choose a private ending. You do not need to destroy the page to demonstrate acceptance. Keeping a memory is not a failure to move forward.",[11,91,92],{},"If writing leaves you persistently more distressed or grief is making daily life difficult, reach out for human support, including a qualified professional if useful. You can stop the exercise at any point.",[11,94,95,96,101,102,106],{},"In Rescript, Letters includes a starting point for someone who died. The letter remains unsent. Read our ",[97,98,100],"a",{"href":99},"/grief/","grief guide"," or the ",[97,103,105],{"href":104},"/blog/journaling-while-grieving-a-compassionate-guide/","gentle guide to journaling while grieving"," for more ways to begin.",{"title":108,"searchDepth":109,"depth":109,"links":110},"",2,[111,112,113,114,115],{"id":20,"depth":109,"text":21},{"id":30,"depth":109,"text":31},{"id":40,"depth":109,"text":41},{"id":66,"depth":109,"text":67},{"id":85,"depth":109,"text":86},"Grief","Start an unsent letter in Rescript. Choose a prompt, write in your own words, and decide what comes next.","Write an unsent letter","Give the words somewhere to go","https://app.rescriptjournal.com/welcome","2026-10-05T16:50:00Z","A gentle starting point for a letter to someone who died, with space for ordinary news, unfinished words, anger, and memories.",false,"md","/img/blog/letters-grief-cover.webp","A letter and two ceramic cups beside a softly lit window.",{},true,"/blog/letter-to-someone-who-died",null,{"title":5,"description":122},"blog/letter-to-someone-who-died","2aoDAGSXNsD2WvN1sJWr2VM8S2kpELwjbJSUh3ENcOU",[135,141,146,152,158,163,167,172,176,182,187,192,197,202,207,212,218,222,226,231,236,237,242,247,252,256,260,264,268,273,278,282,286,290,295],{"path":136,"title":137,"description":138,"category":139,"date":140},"/blog/breakup-journaling-prompts-to-help-you-heal","Breakup Journaling Prompts to Help You Heal","25 breakup journaling prompts to help you process heartbreak, stop ruminating, and move forward with more clarity.","Breakups & no contact","2026-03-28",{"path":142,"title":143,"description":144,"category":139,"date":145},"/blog/broke-no-contact-what-to-write-next","Broke No Contact? 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A practical letter prompt for a date that brings feelings back.","2026-09-25T15:35:00Z",{"path":173,"title":174,"description":175,"category":139,"date":157},"/blog/from-breakup-to-healing-a-journaling-path","From Breakup to Healing: A Journaling Path","A stage-by-stage journaling path through a breakup — from the first raw days to actually feeling like yourself again — with the right prompt and practice for each phase.",{"path":177,"title":178,"description":179,"category":180,"date":181},"/blog/from-victim-to-survivor-rewriting-your-internal-narrative-for-healing","From Victim to Survivor: Rewriting Your Internal Narrative for Healing","How changing the story you tell yourself can transform your relationship with difficult experiences","Self & change","2025-10-14",{"path":183,"title":184,"description":185,"category":156,"date":186},"/blog/how-do-i-start-journaling-when-i-dont-know-what-to-say","How Do I Start Journaling When I Don't Know What to Say","A practical guide for starting a journal entry when your mind is blank, overwhelmed, or unsure where to begin.","2026-04-12",{"path":188,"title":189,"description":190,"category":156,"date":191},"/blog/how-to-journal-without-overthinking-or-editing-yourself","How to Journal Without Overthinking or Editing Yourself","A guide on letting go of the \"perfect sentence\" and trusting the process\n","2025-10-15",{"path":193,"title":194,"description":195,"category":139,"date":196},"/blog/how-to-stop-checking-your-exs-social-media-after-a-breakup","How to Stop Checking Your Ex's Social Media After a Breakup","A practical, compassionate guide to breaking the urge to check your ex's Instagram, stories, or last seen after a breakup.","2026-03-30",{"path":198,"title":199,"description":200,"category":156,"date":201},"/blog/how-to-transition-from-healing-journal-to-mindful-journal","How to Transition from Healing Journal to Mindful Journal","Guidance for users moving from trauma-focused writing to daily reflection and growth\n","2025-10-20",{"path":203,"title":204,"description":205,"category":156,"date":206},"/blog/how-to-turn-journaling-into-a-daily-ritual","How to Turn Journaling Into a Daily Ritual","Tips on creating a calming space, setting reminders, and making journaling a form of meditation\n","2025-10-21",{"path":208,"title":209,"description":210,"category":156,"date":211},"/blog/how-to-use-mindful-journaling-as-an-anchor-in-everyday-life","How to Use Mindful Journaling as an Anchor in Everyday Life","Creating stability and presence through simple daily reflections\n","2025-10-17",{"path":213,"title":214,"description":215,"category":216,"date":217},"/blog/journaling-for-better-sleep-how-10-minutes-of-bedtime-writing-can-transform-your-rest","Journaling for Better Sleep: How 10 Minutes of Bedtime Writing Can Transform Your Rest","Discover the science-backed connection between expressive writing and sleep quality, plus practical techniques to use journaling as a natural sleep aid that reduces anxiety and promotes deeper rest.","Night thoughts","2025-10-13",{"path":219,"title":220,"description":221,"category":156,"date":157},"/blog/journaling-prompts-for-anger","28 Journaling Prompts for Anger (When You Need Somewhere to Put It)","Journaling prompts for anger and resentment — to help you feel it honestly, find what's underneath it, and decide what to do with it, without taking it out on anyone.",{"path":223,"title":224,"description":225,"category":156,"date":157},"/blog/journaling-prompts-for-anxiety","30 Journaling Prompts for Anxiety (When Your Mind Won't Slow Down)","Thirty journaling prompts for anxiety, sorted by what you're feeling — racing thoughts, worry about the future, physical tension, and 3am spirals — to help you get out of your head and onto the page.",{"path":227,"title":228,"description":229,"category":116,"date":230},"/blog/journaling-while-grieving-a-compassionate-guide","Journaling While Grieving: A Compassionate Guide","Support for those writing through loss, with gentle language and emotional safeguards\n","2025-10-19",{"path":232,"title":233,"description":234,"category":150,"date":235},"/blog/keep-burn-or-release-your-letter","Keep, Burn, or Release? Choosing an Ending for Your Letter","A guide to choosing what happens after an unsent letter, with questions for keeping, burning, releasing, or simply waiting.","2026-09-30T17:45:00Z",{"path":129,"title":5,"description":122,"category":116,"date":121},{"path":238,"title":239,"description":240,"category":139,"date":241},"/blog/no-contact-after-a-breakup-what-to-do-when-you-want-to-reach-out","No Contact After a Breakup: What to Do When You Want to Reach Out","A practical guide to no contact after a breakup, including what to do when you want to text your ex, call them, or check in.","2026-03-29",{"path":243,"title":244,"description":245,"category":139,"date":246},"/blog/no-contact-tracker-and-journal","A No-Contact Tracker and a Journal Answer Different Questions","Learn how to pair a no-contact day counter with short breakup reflections, without turning the number into a deadline for feeling better.","2026-09-21T18:05:00Z",{"path":248,"title":249,"description":250,"category":150,"date":251},"/blog/photo-in-an-unsent-letter","A Photo in an Unsent Letter: Write About One Moment","Use a photo as an optional starting point for an unsent letter, with prompts that separate the moment in the image from what you know now.","2026-10-02T21:25:00Z",{"path":253,"title":254,"description":255,"category":156,"date":181},"/blog/the-4-day-healing-journal-a-beginner-s-guide-to-emotional-recovery-through-writing","The 4-Day Healing Journal: A Beginner's Guide to Emotional Recovery Through Writing","Learn how just four days of structured expressive writing can help you process trauma, reduce anxiety, and start your journey toward emotional healing—backed by decades of psychological research.",{"path":257,"title":258,"description":259,"category":156,"date":186},"/blog/the-best-ai-journaling-apps-for-difficult-emotions-in-2026","the best AI journaling apps for difficult emotions in 2026","An honest comparison of AI journaling apps for grief, anxiety, overthinking, self-reflection, and difficult emotions in 2026.",{"path":261,"title":262,"description":263,"category":156,"date":181},"/blog/the-science-of-healing-how-expressive-journaling-transforms-mental-health","Expressive Writing Research: What Studies Show","What expressive-writing research can and cannot tell us about journaling, individual differences, and Rescript’s writing practices.",{"path":265,"title":266,"description":267,"category":156,"date":181},"/blog/the-science-of-healing-through-writing-what-happens-in-your-brain-when-you-put-feelings-into-words","How Writing Helps You Name Difficult Feelings","A practical guide to naming feelings on the page, separating observations from interpretations, and avoiding unsupported neuroscience promises.",{"path":269,"title":270,"description":271,"category":139,"date":272},"/blog/unsent-letter-to-your-ex-template","An Unsent Letter to Your Ex: A Template for What Is Still Unsaid","Write an unsent letter to your ex with a five-part template, a worked example, and room to finish without sending or forcing closure.","2026-09-14T23:10:00Z",{"path":274,"title":275,"description":276,"category":156,"date":277},"/blog/what-happens-after-you-finish-a-session-regulating-the-nervous-system","After a Difficult Journal Entry: A Gentle Way to Finish","Choose a simple ending after emotional writing: stop, orient to the room, decide what to keep, and return to an ordinary next step.","2025-10-18",{"path":279,"title":280,"description":281,"category":156,"date":186},"/blog/what-kind-of-journal-is-right-for-what-youre-feeling","What Kind of Journal Is Right for What You're Feeling?","A practical guide to matching emotions like grief, overthinking, burnout, and self-doubt with the right kind of journal or app.",{"path":283,"title":284,"description":285,"category":216,"date":186},"/blog/what-should-i-write-in-my-journal-when-im-spiraling-at-night","What Should I Write in My Journal When I'm Spiraling at Night","A nighttime journaling guide for racing thoughts, rumination, and the feelings that get louder after dark.",{"path":287,"title":288,"description":289,"category":156,"date":181},"/blog/what-to-do-if-you-don-t-know-what-to-write","What to Do If You Don't Know What to Write","For users staring at the blank page — includes simple starters and mindset reframes",{"path":291,"title":292,"description":293,"category":156,"date":294},"/blog/why-writing-about-pain-is-so-hard-and-why-it-helps-anyway","Why Writing About Pain Is So Hard (And Why It Helps Anyway)","Science meets compassion: explaining the emotional resistance and its role in healing\n","2025-10-16",{"path":296,"title":297,"description":298,"category":139,"date":299},"/blog/write-instead-of-texting-your-ex","Write Instead of Texting Your Ex: A Plan for the Next Ten Minutes","A short writing plan for the moment you want to text your ex: separate the message, the hoped-for reply, and what you need tonight.","2026-09-16T16:15:00Z",1791219748682]