Offering hope, comfort and support for survivors of suicide loss.
I remember my toughest challenge was getting through the day after the tragic loss of my dad. After maxing out my paid time off to go back to Colorado to make funeral arrangements, I came home to the standard three days of bereavement time. I still cringe when I hear that this remains the norm. How is someone expected to grieve in three days time? This only contributes to the isolating feeling one experiences in the aftermath of a tragic loss ...
This week marks my sixth year as a survivor of my father’s suicide. On the day, I faced a heavy schedule of work meetings, which didn’t leave much time for doing something specific or dedicated. However, I did go back and read all of the posts I’ve shared on my dad’s death day with the intention of observing how my grief has evolved. I found the process interesting and thought I would outline my diary of survivorship six years in with excerpts ...
One of the first and most common sentiments survivors of suicide loss will share is that they don’t know how a loved one could have taken their own life, or why they did. On the surface, there appeared to be no signs or symptoms. And, the idea of suicide was never mentioned. Many times, the person who took their life was by all accounts the life of the party – a happy go lucky individual who had everything.
When I am sharing my story, I always ...
The only way to lessen the pain, is to feel the pain. Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid feeling the pain after losing a loved one to suicide. The shock accompanying a loss of this magnitude allows us to delay the intensity of the pain. Often times we think we are doing pretty well considering the traumatic experience of our loved ones death. Then it hits us. The overwhelming, excruciating, life altering pain. We question if there will ...
How often have you said to yourself, "I should have known?" Or, "I should have been able to prevent this?" There is a reason they say, "Hindsight is 20/20." Everything is perfectly clear AFTER the event. Every behavior, every action, every word all hold new meaning. It can be difficult not to blame yourself for your loved ones' suicide if you are looking through the hindsight lens.
It is unclear why letting yourself off the hook is so ...
