Continue LEARNING, WRITING & Processing

Lots of self-discovery and research went into the making of Forget You Not: A Guided Grief & Keepsake Journal. Following are suggested books, podcasts, apps, and other tools I have personally leaned on and encourage you to explore too. I’d also love for you to share this list with your friends and family!

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Books, Podcasts, Apps, Classes & Playlist Recommendations

LOSS: POEMS TO BETTER WEATHER THE MANY WAVES OF GRIEF BY DONNA ASHWORTH
This book of poetry feels like a warm hug. A wonderful gift for fellow grievers and a reminder for all of us that we’re not as alone as we often feel.
HEALING WITH DAVID KESSLER (PODCAST, GRIEF.COM) AND TENDER HEARTS GRIEF GROUP
David Kessler is a prominent grief expert who contributed to The Five Stages of Grief, a theory that has now evolved to reflect the complex range of human experience. He believes in the power of writing to heal and that “what we resist pursues us, what we face transforms us.” On his podcast, he interviews internationally recognized grievers and explores complex topics with other experts on guilt, self-blame, trauma, and finding meaning through our grief.
UNTANGLE GRIEF (WEBSITE & APP)
This app and its social media pages are an online peer support group to help people ask questions and navigate life after death together. I love their Instagram page where they share “untold stories” of grief from members and relatable words from people all over the world. The comments are full of insightful reflections and deep longing.
GRIEF WORKS (BOOK & APP)
Grief Works is an incredibly moving book written by leading psychotherapist Julia Samuel. She’s a firm believer that we need to allow grief to storm through us, get chaotic and messy, and ultimately change us. She introduced me to the concept of post-traumatic growth and kairos vs. chronos time, referenced in this journal. The Grief Works grief support app is something I recommend everyone download who is in the early days of grief—it’s well worth the investment to glean her guidance. It functions like a guided digital journal, with helpful videos and prompts along the way.
THE HAPPINESS LAB (PODCAST) BY DR. LAURIE SANTOS
Dr. Laurie Santos researches the science of happiness and shares how to find more of it by understanding our painful emotions and experiences. It’s empowering to learn how our brains are wired and how we can change that wiring!
DARING GREATLY AND ATLAS OF THE HEART BY DR. BRENÉ BROWN
Dr. Brené Brown is an expert on vulnerability and shares how it has the power to change the way we grieve, lead, love, work, parent, and educate for the better. Her work has transformed the way I function decades into my grieving process, and I probably quote something she’s written at least once a day in casual conversation.
ON PURPOSE (PODCAST) BY JAY SHETTY
After living as a monk and now running the number one health and wellness podcast (2022), Jay Shetty shares wisdom and teachings on living life intentionally, with integrity, and in the present. His teachings are beginner-friendly and culturally relevant—they’re what introduced me to mindfulness and meditation.
TEN PERCENT HAPPIER (PODCAST, BOOK & APP) BY DAN HARRIS
Dan Harris shares how to meditate and the research behind it, and interviews leading experts in the field to understand some of the most complex human experiences.
CALM (APP)
I have a yearly subscription to Calm and love the daily meditations. There are also meditations to help you fall asleep, grieve, and learn how to settle your mind. Try to do five-minute meditations (or more) daily to see a huge impact on your ability to regulate your emotions.
ZENTANGLE ART
Even if you say you “don’t have an artistic bone in your body,” doodling is easy and can help you tap into a flow state. Search for zentangle designs online and recreate your own using strokes with simple pen and ink. Also, try continuous line drawings.
Each of these books reminds you how to reignite your sense of awe and wonder, and how we’re all creative beings. I’ll read these cover to cover hundreds of times over the course of my life and hope they inspire a new journey back to creativity for you too. Remember: we’re all creative. Yes, you too!
This last book is filled with science-backed evidence supporting how essential creativity and the arts are to our well-being and mental health. A must-read! The evidence shows that pursuing and experiencing art can actually be given as prescriptions for trauma, grief, and PTSD, and that it adds years to our lives.
CALLIGRAPHY & WATERCOLOR CLASSES WITH ME, BRITTANY!
Art is good for you. Writing, painting, and calligraphy are all proven practices to help alleviate anxiety, decrease stress, and improve your overall well-being. I teach beginners how to get creative again with art kits, virtual classes, and workshops across North America.
As a thank you for submitting a review of Forget You Not, enjoy free access to an online painting class!
A curated selection of songs on Spotify from fellow grievers that remind us what it means to lose someone you love and still find comfort.

A green Peak Paper Co art print that reads "you need to feel to heal"

Peak Paper Co art print that reads "to grieve is to love"

MORE ART PRINTS AND GREETING CARDS WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON

meet the author of Forget You Not, Brittany DeSantis from Peak Paper co

Brittant DeSantis from Peak Paper Co is the author of Forget You Not, a guided grief and keepsake journal

BRITTANY DESANTIS IS THE Sentimental WATERCOLOR ARTIST & INTERNATIONALLY Recognized CALLIGRAPHER BEHIND PEAK PAPER CO @peakpaperco

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a paintbrush and pen in hand. Whether I was creating poems and illustrations or memory-keeping in my daily journals, art and writing are deeply a part of my journey. My only hope is to inspire you to find healing in your own words and the joy of expressing yourself on paper too.

MORE ABOUT

After my dad passed away suddenly when I was 13, I journaled a lot.

And I didn’t know the long-term effect it would have on me to acknowledge and process what I felt during that time until much later in life, when I read and understood the research behind the journaling process.

Darryl Dakins father of Brittany Dakins DeSantis, author of Forget You Not guided grief and keepsake journal

And this is the last photo we have together

This is My Dad: Darryl Dakins

Brittany DeSantis from Peak Paper Co as a child with her late father

Some of my oldest journals from age 10+

An childhood journal of Brittany DeSantis from Peak Paper Co

An excerpt from Brittany DeSantis childhood journal that reads "my future goal is to be an artist - Brittany"

A collection of childhood journals from Brittany DeSantis Peak Paper Co

Brittany DeSantis from Peak Paper Co reading an old journal she wrote

We don’t need to have any answers or perfect sentences or beautiful prose. We just need to slow down and put pen to paper

And in the simple act of expressing ourselves, even if those words never see the light of day, writing lightens the load.

Author and artist Brittany DeSantis writes in a journal

If there’s one thing you absolutely must do, it’s to remove the expectations you or others place on you for the time it takes to heal and how you should feel. Both are infinite.

These pages are meant to help you put one foot in front of the other. To allow all your emotions to express themselves freely and not turn against yourself for feeling too much or for too long (there’s no such thing).