Tag Archives: suicide

International Survivors of Suicide Loss day 2024 – Top ways to cope with losing someone to suicide.

Did you know that November the 23rd is International Survivors of Suicide Loss day 2024?

The day is a time dedicated to coming together, supporting one another, and finding healing after losing loved ones to suicide. Survivor Day is an annual event that provides a safe space for individuals to share their stories and connect with others who understand the deep pain of such loss. It’s a global day of remembrance filled with activities including speaker panels, film screenings, and group discussions, all often hosted by local organizations, mental health groups, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

To see the video that I use to raise awareness, please view the video below.

Losing someone to suicide is a profoundly painful and complex experience. Healing takes time and patience, but it’s crucial to remember that you are not alone on this journey.

Here are five ways to cope and find hope after such a devastating loss.

Allow Yourself to Grieve

Grief is a natural response to losing someone you love, and it’s okay to feel a mix of emotions such as anger, guilt, confusion, and sadness. Each person’s grief process is unique, and it’s important to allow yourself to experience and process these emotions without rushing. This process can be long and non-linear; some days will be harder than others, and that’s a normal part of healing.

Seek Support

Connecting with friends, family members, or trusted individuals who can offer comfort and understanding is essential. Expressing your feelings and sharing memories of your loved one with those who care about you provides both relief and a sense of connection. Additionally, joining a support group, whether in person or online, through organizations like the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention can be incredibly beneficial. These groups provide a community of individuals who have experienced similar pain and can offer empathy and support.

Educate Yourself

Understanding mental health and the factors that lead to suicide can aid in making sense of your feelings and help reduce self-blame. It’s important to remember that mental health struggles are complex and multifaceted, and the loss of a loved one to suicide is not your fault.

Create Rituals of Remembrance

Remembering and celebrating the life of your loved one is a powerful way to cope with loss. This can be done by sharing stories, creating a memory book, planting a tree, or participating in activities they loved. Engaging in awareness events such as walks, vigils, or fundraisers in their memory can also be incredibly meaningful. These rituals provide a way to honor their memory and create a lasting legacy.

Practice Self-Care

Grieving is both physically and emotionally exhausting. Taking care of your own needs is integral to your healing process. Ensure you’re eating well, resting, and engaging in activities that bring you peace. Setting boundaries and taking breaks from conversations or situations that feel overwhelming is also essential. Be patient with yourself during this time; healing is not a straightforward process, and it’s okay to have good and bad days.

Finding Hope and Healing

On this Survivor Day, it’s important to remember that healing is possible and that hope is within reach. Together, we can find strength and comfort in our shared experiences. If you need more resources or support, please utilize the links provided in the description below. Stay connected, stay hopeful, and take care.

Survivor Day reminds us that while the journey after losing a loved one to suicide is incredibly difficult, there is a community ready to support and understand. Engaging in commemorative activities and reaching out for support are powerful steps towards healing. Always remember, you are not alone.

World Suicide Prevention day 2024

Thanks for dropping by. Welcome to a blog post raising awareness of caring and caregiving. World Suicide Prevention day might have already finished by the time I posted this blog, but it is always helpful to continue raising awareness.

Many people around the world unfortunately take their lives due to suicide every day. This is a sad fact, but we also need to remember those who try their best to help support and care for those struggling with suicide.

It is also important to remember friends, families and communities affected by suicide. I have made this video to help raise awareness, which you can watch below.

How to save a life by Holding the Hope – Guest blog by Jo and Matthew

CONNECT REFLECT VALIDATE – 3 key takeaways to support someone in suicidal crisis

My name is Jo Lambert and I am one of six volunteers who made Hold the Hope, a suicide prevention film which explores how to support someone in suicidal crisis though a lived experience lens.

Over the last year, we have been working with film production company Creative Colony to bring our ideas and vision for Hold the Hope to life.

The film is split into two parts, with the first part told through two spoken word poems Today’s the Day and Hold the Hope (written by me and performed by award winning George the Poet).

It depicts the journey of someone who is in mental health crisis and the thoughts, feelings and emotions they experience. The second part of the film features behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with me and my lived experience colleagues.

Hold the Hope was funded by NHS South West London’s Suicide Prevention Programme (part of the NHS South West London Integrated Care Board).

The film will form part of a new life-saving training course that will be co-delivered by me and other volunteers alongside NHS staff for schools and the British Transport Police in South West London.

At the start of the project, I wrote a carer narrative, a distillation of my lived experience supporting a loved one in suicidal crisis. I condensed it into three key takeaway points – CONNECT REFLECT and VALIDATE in the hope that this might be easy to remember in a crisis situation. These three words and their significance are themes which run through both of the poems in the first film’s voiceover and in the second film, my colleagues and I share our lived experience examples of how to connect, reflect and validate someone in crisis and what holding the hope for them means. The film’s name derives from the name of the second poem.

As a mental health carer, I joined this project because I wanted to share what I wish I had known at the start of our family’s crisis. I am delighted that there are plans not just to deliver Hold the Hope into the police and secondary schools, but that there are already discussions about sharing it more widely across communities – with mental health carers, parents, universities etc.

Hold the Hope has been produced from lived experience, and my belief is that it is versatile and eminently portable because of that. For me the beauty of Hold the Hope is that it can be shared anywhere – it is just as applicable in a corporate setting so that staff can learn how to support family members and colleagues as it is for clinicians in a hospital who can deepen their understanding of their patients’ experience.

“Can you turn stigma on its head

And see my staying power instead?”

From Hold the Hope ©Jo Lambert 2023

For me, this is the most important part of the poem. Once you start to understand the details of the back story to someone’s suicidal crisis, what is remarkable is not that the person had thoughts of ending their life but that they coped with as much as they did, as well as they did and for so long. The act of connecting, reflecting back and validating someone’s experience and holding the hope for them in their moment of crisis, can re-connect someone with their own immense internal power to survive.

It was an honour and a privilege to be part of this project and I have made what I hope will be lifelong friends as well as extended my own understanding from the shared experience of my colleagues.

Final words by Matthew McKenzie

I attended the Hold the Hope Launch on Friday the 8th of December 2023. The launch was at the Everyman Cinema Borough Yards.

I was not sure what to expect, but felt welcomed and involved. With collegues from Cygnet attending along with me, it was a great way to support the amazing work Jo Lambert and others had put into the project.

After watching the video Hold the Hope, I can certainly see the challenge that must be taken up by the police, rail service, schools and more. Suicide must be tackled as soon as possible and one of the best ways to do this is through education.

Health, social care and the mental health services can only grow stronger with the inclusion of those who have lived experience. It takes courage, determination and care for those who get involved, because they have their own challenges and trauma.

The film clearly shows the importance of holding on to hope. There is always a chance, but sometimes we cannot see this. Sometimes those who attempt suicide cannot see any hope and those who should help can lack the skills to spot and prevent suicides.

With Jo Lambert’s poem, I can see how this hits home. I can feel her words gently remind that there is hope.

I could not help but be intrigued after the film was shown. I wanted to hear so much from the inclusion of lived experience.

I asked Jo what she expected from the project and was amazed at how thoughtful her answer was. As a carer I can see the potential of the project. We need to include carers and help them tackle the challenges when caring for someone going Suicidal Ideation.

I admit there is so much to do, but with the Hold The Hope project, I can certainly see a strong foundation.

Thank you for reading

World Suicide Prevention Day 2020

Welcome to another blog post by Matthew Mckenzie former carer and expert by experience in caring for someone with a severe mental illness. I know it is a bit late, but on the 10th of September 2020 it was World Suicide Prevention day.

Suicide Prevention is so important that awareness of it should be raised at any time. I even made a video to help raise awareness of suicide prevention.

Usually I raise awareness of carers, specifically carers who care for someone with a mental illness, but every so often I do want to raise awareness of mental health. The causes of suicides are an important issue because it certainly does involve mental health.

World Suicide Prevention Day is an awareness day observed on 10 September every year. World Suicide Prevention Day aims to start the conversation about suicide and to show that recovery is possible.

There are many charities and organisations promoting world prevention suicide day. The theme for World Suicide Prevention day is of ‘connection’ and ‘Working Together to Prevent Suicide.’ The awareness campaign is organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP)

With World Suicide Prevention day it is especially relevant because Covid-19 has affected us all in different ways and brought new or increased challenges. Many people have lost so much, be it homes, loved ones and that form of connection to society and to the world.

Having a strong sense of connection is an important part of suicide prevention. We all can form a connection with friends and family, as family is so important when caring for someone.

But still, Why is World Suicide Prevention day needed? Unfortunately 800,000 people take their own life each year. Despite the terrible statistics, one life taken is always a tragedy. There is still a lot of work for the government, health organisations and society to do. Families and carers looking after someone who may suffer from suicidal thoughts can be devastated when they loose someone to this.

Reaching out

It is often helpful for people to have an honest communication about mental ill-health support. Having such conversations have the power to increase awareness and helps to break the stigma of mental health . It is always important to remind people are not alone.

If suffering from suicide thoughts it is good to let family or trusted friends know what’s going on for you. They may be able to offer support and help keep you safe.

World suicide prevention day 2016

World Globe Maps

Welcome to another one of my blog posts. This blog post is helping to raise awareness of World Suicide Prevention Day. I am not going to pull any punches, suicide can be one of the most devastating things to happen to anyone, not just the person taking the action, but also their families, especially those who are trying to care for something going through mental torment or mental health issues.

World Suicide Prevention Day happens on the 10th of September every year. It is championed by The International Association for Suicide Prevention of (IASP) and also the World Health Organization otherwise known as (WHO). IASP helps to raise awareness on the following.

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My post for World Suicide Prevention day 2015

matthew mckenzie Sorry I have not blogged for a while since as with many mental health carers, I am currently caring in crisis. It can be so difficult, but when a loved one has to be placed in a mental health unit, then other things need to be placed on hold.

As of this blog post, I am one of those mental health carers trying to keep things stable while recovery for my loved one is vital.