Offering hope, comfort and support for survivors of suicide loss.
The single most life changing event that has happened in my life was my dad's suicide. Grief changes us, and alters our path in life. While it introduced me to a new level of pain, a level that I never knew existed, it also helped me "clean out" my life. I realized who truly was a friend, and who was only there for the fun. I learned a great deal about myself. Not only the depths of my insecurities and fears, but also my own strength and ...
After losing someone to suicide you can find yourself combing through every moment of the past, questioning whether you missed the signs. Every memory holds new meaning. What if I would have paid more attention that day? What if I would have questioned their thinking, or pointed out something that didn't seem right? Would they still be here today? Questions like this often contribute to the overwhelming presence of guilt we feel in the ...
You don't get over the pain, you go through it. There is a way to the other side, but it isn't easy. We have to allow ourselves to feel every aspect of our pain in order to get to the other side. This can be a difficult concept in the aftermath of a suicide loss. We all want to know what we can do to make the pain end. To wake up in the morning and no longer feel that gut wrenching feeling that reminds you of the magnitude of your loss. We ...
I’ve noticed a personal phenomenon lately as I scroll through my Facebook News Feed – I avoid or quickly bypass stories that make me feel uncomfortable. This is a highly subjective practice, knowing everyone has different emotional “triggers” - a term I learned in online forums. (I actually hate the word triggers since my dad took his life with a gun.) But, now I’m wondering if my avoidance of these tragic topics is making me a hypocrite. After ...
We all want a roadmap for grief. When will the pain end? When will I experience joy again? The reason a roadmap for grief does not exist, is because everyone's grief journey is different. A mother and father grieve for a lost child differently. A brother and sister grieve differently for a lost parent. Each one of us had a different relationship with the person we lost. To think that any one of us will follow the same path is unrealistic. ...
