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Worksheet · Chronic health

Loss inventory

The grief of chronic illness is rarely one loss. It is several, layered, often carried as one heavy whole. This inventory sorts them into pieces you can name.

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Fillable PDF · 2 pages · 279 KB · Free, no sign-up
Written and reviewed by
The Equal Psychology team Matthew Hallam (AHPRA PSY0002471369) · Natalia Cajide (AHPRA PSY0002474316)
Last reviewed
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Who it is for

For anyone living with a chronic illness who feels the weight of what has changed, without always being able to say what it is. Grief like this tends to recur, and when it is unsorted, everything can feel equally heavy at once. That is not a sign of failing to cope.

The inventory gives each loss its own place on the page, along with an honest account of what remains. It is a private reflection tool: no one needs to read it. If you choose to bring it to a session, it gives you and your clinician a clearer picture of what you are carrying.

For use alongside therapy, not as a substitute. This inventory is for naming what has changed, not for resolving it. If a category brings up something heavy that does not settle, that is worth bringing to a GP or a psychologist.

What is inside

Page 1, read first. Why the grief of chronic illness is several losses rather than one, what sorting them can look like, and the two states the page contrasts:

Carried as one weight
Heavy, vague, unsorted
Sorted into pieces
Each one nameable

Page 2. Six categories, each with a prompt: the body, the day, the future, the relationships, who you are, and what remains.

Page 1 of the worksheet Loss inventory
Page 1 · Read first
Page 2 of the worksheet Loss inventory, the part you fill in
Page 2 · To fill in

How to use it

  1. 1Fill in what feels usefulNo category is required and the order does not matter. Leave the rest blank.
  2. 2Write as much as is honestSome categories will surface a sentence, others a page. A few honest sentences are plenty.
  3. 3Notice what stays quietCategories that stay quiet are information too. The ones that surface most are often where the weight is sitting. You can come back on another day.

The aim is not a complete inventory. It is a clearer sense of what you are actually carrying. Sort what surfaces, and leave the rest for another day. You can type into the PDF on a computer, or print it and write by hand.

Fillable PDF · 2 pages · 279 KB
Loss inventory
Download PDF
Therapy at Equal Psychology · Chronic healthWorking with chronic health conditionsWhat living with a chronic health condition can involve, how we work with it, what sessions cost, and how to begin. See how we work with chronic health →
References

Boss, P., & Couden, B. A. (2002). Ambiguous loss from chronic illness: Clinical interventions with individuals, couples, and families. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(11), 1351–1360.

Olshansky, S. (1962). Chronic sorrow: A response to having a mentally defective child. Social Casework, 43(4), 190–193.

General information only. This worksheet is general psychoeducation, not a clinical assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Reading it does not establish a treating relationship. If you would like personalised support, please book a Meet and Greet or speak with your GP. If you are in immediate danger, call 000, or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Therapy at Equal Psychology
Working with chronic health conditions
See how we work with chronic health →