Grief First Aid Kit

Grief First Aid Kit

For the person grieving — and for the people who love them

When someone dies, nobody hands you a guide.

Nobody tells you what needs doing in the first 72 hours, or how to get through a day when you can’t eat, can’t sleep, and can’t quite believe any of this is real. Nobody tells you what you’re allowed to feel, or how to ask for help when you don’t even know what you need.

And nobody tells the people around you how to show up — how to be genuinely helpful instead of hovering awkwardly, saying the wrong thing, or quietly disappearing because grief makes them uncomfortable.

This kit is for both of you.

It was written from lived experience — from navigating sudden loss, from not having any of this, and from wishing desperately that someone had handed it to me.

What’s inside

Part One — For the person grieving:

• What to expect in the first 72 hours — practically and emotionally

• Registering the death, the paperwork, the phone calls — and how to not do any of it alone

• What grief does to your body — sleep, eating, exhaustion, the need for physical space

• Permission slips — the things you are allowed to feel, do, and say that nobody else will tell you

• How to ask for help when grief makes that almost impossible

• The weeks and months ahead — what to expect, and how to get through them

• A full practical checklist — everything that needs doing, in order, with tickboxes

Part Two — For the friends and family around them:

• Why “let me know if you need anything” doesn’t work — and what to say instead

• How to make specific, practical offers that actually help

• Food, childcare, admin, the paperwork — real ways to show up

• What to say, what not to say, and why well-meant phrases can hurt

• How to keep showing up weeks and months down the line

• Their own checklist — practical actions for the immediate days and beyond

This kit is for you if:

• You’ve just experienced a loss and don’t know where to start

• You’re supporting someone who is grieving and want to do it well

• You want to give someone you love something genuinely useful in the worst days of their life

• You’ve been hovering, not knowing what to say or do, and want to change that

Nobody gets a manual for grief. This is the closest thing to one — honest, practical, and written with deep care for everyone in the room.

£9 · Instant download · Printable PDF

Also available as a bundle with A Friend’s Guide to Grief — both for £15. Find it in the shop.