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The Three Letters

A woman holding a pen as she writes a letter.

Why is this tool helpful after a workplace tragedy?

Letter writing is a way to get spiraling thoughts onto paper, in a guided way. By writing a set of three letters, you may be able to process your feelings and think about who you will be after the workplace tragedy. These letters can be written to yourself, to a loved one, or to a situation. If written to someone still living, these letters are for you, and they do not need to be sent.

How can I get started?

Create a quiet space, turn off distractions, and take a deep breath. When writing these letters, be as specific as you can. These letters can be challenging to write; please take breaks.

LETTER ONE:

Write about who, or what you will miss. This could be in bullet form, sentences, or even pictures if that is helpful.

  • If writing about someone who has died:
    – Describe everything you loved about them
    Their laugh, their compassion, their presence etc.
  • If writing about a life-altering injury, or occupational disease:
    – Describe in detail the way life used to be.
    > Detail the things you miss: I miss being able to walk without pain. I miss sleeping through the night.

LETTER TWO:

This letter is a challenging one to write. In letter two, write about things you won’t miss. It is important to acknowledge everything that is inside of us, even the uncomfortable feelings.

  • You may want to write about how angry you are that they went to work that day, in an unsafe environment.
  • You may want to write about your anger towards your boss who didn’t help you.

When writing this letter, experience the feelings that arise, and sit with them, without judgement.

LETTER THREE:

The third letter is a letter of commitment. Who will I become despite the tragedy? You could speak of being a safety awareness advocate, or maybe about helping other families who are grieving.
Some prompts to start:

  • “Despite my injury, I will…”
  • “Because you aren’t here anymore, I will…”
  • “I miss you so much, here is how I will honour you”

FREE RESOURCES

If you find this helpful, you may want to continue writing down what you are experiencing. You can find some additional journalling prompts here .