Surviving After a Suicide Loss
A suicide loss support group in Naples, Florida
While grieving — and at all other times — it is important to be aware of, protect, and set clear boundaries with others. If you are like many of us, you may have some difficulty saying no to people. If saying NO to others is difficult for you, below are some other ways that you can say NO that may work for you.
Pain and suffering are not the same things. This graphic shows how emotional pain (not physical pain) is a natural response to an emotionally disturbing event. Suffering is our response to the event with negative self-talk and actions intended to avoid or numb the pain we feel. We can keep filling that suffering portion of the graphic up with unhealthy coping mechanisms and negative self-talk, but none of them ever address the actual feelings that have caused our pain. In fact, negative self-talk may be another way we avoid feeling the actual pain.
Two new services recently became available for persons struggling with mental health issues and in need of emotional support. New 988 suicide and crisis lifeline and the Florida Warm Line.
Guilt is a common and often overpowering feeling for survivors. There is a difference between guilt and regret Our friend Patricia often shares her insightful distinction between the word "guilt" survivors mistakenly place on themselves and "regret" which more accurately expresses what they are feeling. Here is an article on that important distinction for survivors.
During our group meetings, members often express that they can't tell if they are progressing in their grief process or just going in circles. While progress in anything in life… Continue reading The Grief Process: How do we Know if we are Progressing?
My Unexpected Journey: Reflections after Losing My Son to Suicide, Written by fellow survivor and our group member Erin Blechman, My Unexpected Journey is a collection of reflections written following the death of the author's son, Max, to suicide in June 2020.
H IS FOR HONORING by Therese Gump To be able to honor a person’s memory is a great consolation when they are no longer around. How do we come to… Continue reading H is for Honoring
We all have hopes and dreams of what we have wanted to accomplish in life, yet most of the time your life is not quite the picture you painted for yourself. Missing out on life and opportunities can create personal discontent, depression and often isolation. The list of things you haven't done can be compelling and overwhelm you.
Then you might realize something: You are not that person anymore, and in another second, you will again be someone new. Letting go of the weight of past regrets gives you a better chance of becoming who you want to be today.
Jan. 26, 2022, 12:38 PM EST / Source: TODAY By A. Pawlowski After a loved one passed away, I kept being haunted by the feeling that I didn’t know where… Continue reading The grieving brain: How your mind deals with a loved one’s death
What your loved one wants you to know...
"First off, I get it.
Ever since I left this world you have missed me, and I know you’re bracing for the holidays without me. No matter what anyone says, this year’s festivities are going to be really tough.