In the aftermath of a loss by suicide, it is difficult to see any progress you have made. You may still cry, and you may still feel sadness, anger or pain. Does this mean you haven’t began to move forward? No. Moving forward doesn’t look the same for everyone. I recently spoke with a man who lost his wife to suicide a few years back. She was his first and only love. He talked about how his friends and family kept telling him that he needed to, “move on.” For them this meant dating again. He doesn’t have a desire to date. Not because he hasn’t moved forward, but because he just doesn’t have a desire or a need to. He asked, “when will I move on.” We talked about all that he has done since losing his wife. The happiness he has been able to feel again, the hope he now sees for the future. What he realized was that he started the process of moving forward, it just didn’t look like what others thought it should. Do not let others define what “moving forward” looks like. That is up to you to decide. 
