Surviving After a Suicide LossSpecial Occasions
Grief and Loss, Special Occasions, Supporting a Suicide Loss Survivor
February 26, 2019 February 26, 2019 patriceshieldspr	
Birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and other religious celebrations and special occasions can all be particularly difficult times after a loved one has died by suicide. There are some steps you can take to help yourself through this time.
Sometimes the anticipation of the event can be more difficult than the actual date or occasion itself.
It is important to listen to yourself, be flexible, accept what you need, and also the needs of others, and communicate as openly and straightforwardly as you can with those closest to you.
Take care of yourself for the few days after an event or occasion. Sometimes the day after can be tough as well.
Sometimes the anticipation of approaching events can be more difficult than the actual date or occasion itself.
Read through these suggestions and think about what you need to do in preparation. Not all of these ideas will be appropriate for you or your situation.
You may decide that you do not want to do anything at these times. It is not so important whether or not you do something, but it can be important that you have made a decision.
As You Approach the Birthday of
It is possible that this will always be a significant day for you, but approaching the first birthday after the death can be daunting for some.
You might like to talk about the date either with other family members or friends. Remind those who may not know the date, so they may support you more at this time.
Because it is all your choice you might just like to light a candle and play gentle music all day. It is more important that you have made some preparations and planned it, rather than what you actually do.
A good approach is to listen to yourself, be flexible, accept what you need, and also the needs of others, and communicate as openly and straightforwardly as you can with those closest to you as grieve the loss of your loved one to suicide.
Support After a Suicide.com, Retrieved from https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/
Tagged birthdays, special occasions, Suicide Grief Support Group, suicide survivors, surviving after a suicide support group	
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1 thought on “Special Occasions”	
Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of losing my son, Kevin, to suicide at the age of 38. I have now gone through every “first” — first birthday, first Christmas, etc. I believe that my son’s spirit led me to Bob Riley and our SOS group. I believe that Bob, and my friends in this group, have truly saved me and I don’t know what I would do without their love and support. I will forever mourn my son, but I will forever have some very special people to walk this journey with me.
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