Suicide Awareness/Voices
of Education www.save.org
- Know that you can survive,
even if you feel you can't.
- Intense feelings of grief
can be overwhelming and frightening. This is normal. You're not going
crazy; you're grieving.
- Feelings of guilt,
confusion, anger, and fear are common responses to grief.
- You may experience thoughts
of suicide. This is common. It doesn't mean you'll act on the thoughts.
- Forgetfulness is a common,
but temporary side effect. Grieving takes so much energy that other things
may fade in importance.
- Keep asking “why” until you
no longer need to ask.
- Healing takes time. Allow
yourself the time you need to grieve.
- Grief has no predictable
pattern or timetable. Though there are elements of commonality in grief,
each person and each situation is unique.
- Delay making major decisions
if possible.
- The path of grief is one of
twists and turns and you may often feel you are getting nowhere. Remember
even setbacks are a kind of progress.
- This is the hardest thing
you will ever do. Be patient with yourself.
- Seek out people who are
willing to listen when you need to talk and who understand your need to be
silent.
- Give yourself permission to
seek professional help.
- Avoid people who try to tell
you what to feel and how to feel it and, in particular, those who think you
should “be over it by now.”
- Find a support group for
survivors that provides a safe place for you to express your feelings, or
simply a place to go to be with other survivors who are experiencing some
of the same things you're going through.
Suicide Awareness/Voices of Education www.save.org