Lost my daughter to suicide will be 2 years ago in 2 days
I can not handle my new real reality try to occupy my mind with anything else to stay out of it .it's to painful to live in but I can't escape it. We are not meant to be alive and our children gone. Life has knocked me down so many times and I've always been strong got right back up refused to be beat but loosing her destroyed me I have no strength or desire to stand back up my heart is broke my mind is screwed up I have 2 more grown children and 2 grandkids they are the only reason I'm still breathing I don't want to be here to be feeling this pain that words can't begin to explain but I will not put more pain on my kids they are broken too so I am here just existing forced to go through life doing life stuff like make money to pay bills when I don't even want to breath this pain can't be fixed she will never be here again if I were to loose either one of my living children or either grandchild I already made it known I will not stay to feel this pain multiplied it's already more then I can handle this is a lonely painful path I was forced to walk alone people can't handle my pain or the word suicide it's like it's something contagious or if it's not spoken it'll go away but we are loosing so many every min of every day to that horrible word and unless it happens to you then you really can't know the way it leaves you destroyed
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Thank you
Thank you sorry about your dad also suicide is a different type of hurt on its on
I completely feel what you are saying. I have been in several acute mental care hospitals, in the past, and I’m often scared to express how I truly feel, for the same fear. I’m scared I’ll be committed against my will. My past experiences with mental hospitals were not good ones and I feel traumatized by them. Even with counseling, meds, and a lot of hard work, I still struggle but I use the tools I have now to give my grief, pain, sadness, and despair its space and time and it’s getting a little easier to reframe and get back to a better state of mind the next day. I also feel like I’ve been abandoned by so many because it’s easier to not deal with me and my feelings or they feel my past attempted suicide was for attention, or don’t
understand why I can’t just get over what’s happened and choose to be happy. I’ve been at the place where I truely believed it would be better for me and the people left in my life, if I ended it all but slowly I’m seeing my life does have purpose despite my grief, scars, and despair. I also, now, couldn’t fathom causing the pain and grief my death would cause to the few who do still care and love me and that keeps me going. I, also, have two grandkids, I push for them every day. They give me purpose, they love me and don’t see my brokenness the way the others do. I pour a lot into them (despite that I physically can’t pick them up or care for them) and use what I regret about the past to rewrite my future for them and do better for them. I know this is getting long but I just want you to feel an ounce of hope because even when we feel like no one cares, there is ALWAYS someone who does and I do, I care what you are going through and my heart aches for you. Our stories are not the same and by no means am I comparing them but I just want to validate that your feelings are real and grief can be debilitating. My whole life, my parents and others would tell me to lean on God but I just couldn’t hear it. For why would a God make me this way or let the things I’ve been through happen? Recently I started being able to hear God speaking to me through songs or another person and the more I listened the more I heard. Just weeks ago, I was crying so hard while heading to my parents house to take me to yet another doctors appointment because I felt all alone and like so many people had let me down or not supported me through my life and a song came on and these are the words I heard “Oh, my soul
Oh, how you worry
Oh, how you're weary, from fearing you lost control
This was the one thing, you didn't see coming
And no one would blame you, though
If you cried in private
If you tried to hide it away, so no one knows
No one will see, if you stop believing
Oh, my soul
You are not alone
There's a place where fear has to face the God you know
One more day, He will make a way
Let Him show you how, you can lay this down
'Cause you're not alone
Here and now
You can be honest
I won't try to promise that someday it all works out
'Cause this is the valley
And even now, He is breathing on your dry bones
And there will be dancing
There will be beauty where beauty was ash and stone
This much I know
Oh, my soul
You are not alone
There's a place where fear has to face the God you know
One more day, He will make a way
Let Him show you how, you can lay this down
I'm not strong enough, I can't take anymore
(You can lay it down, you can lay it down)
And my shipwrecked faith will never get me to shore
(You can lay it down, you can lay it down)
Can He find me here
Can He keep me from going under
Oh, my soul
You're not alone
There's a place where fear has to face the God you know
One more day, He will make a way
Let Him show you how, you can lay this down
'Cause you're not alone
Oh, my soul, you're not alone“
I hope this song brings you the peace it gave me in that moment. Please remember, someone does always care, even we don’t feel it.
@barelyhere1 That is a great song by Casting Crowns, a Christian band that has many songs that have helped me to get through some difficult times in my life. I cannot even imagine the pain you are experiencing losing your daughter via suicide. I know it may be difficult for some to talk about suicide, like it's a dirty word. For me, I wish we talked about it more, it is not taboo, or at least it shouldn't be. I work in mental health and have learned one thing about grieving that has been helpful to share with others. Grief is the evidence of having loved. It demonstrates just how much we loved/continue to love even in death. The pain can be extraordinary, but we would not feel it so acutely for so long if there hadn't been love. What everyone has said about grief is true, there unfortunately is no roadmap through it or therapy protocol to heal. I think someone mentioned celebrating the life of the lost loved one. I think this is a terrific idea to focus on the life that was lived vs focusing on the loss/death. We each walk through grief in different ways, and we all experience a lot of the same emotions through the roller-coaster of grief. Please hang in for the sake of your other children and your grandchildren. There are days I struggle with suicidal thoughts but then I think about my granddaughter, she's almost 2, her presence in my life gives me the courage and strength to go on another day or another hour. Try to focus on the lives of those still here with you and the love you share with them, while remembering the good times you shared with your daughter who has passed. As a therapist myself working with suicidal clients, if someone tells me they are thinking about ending their lives, I assess for the level of risk, create or review a safety plan. I only hospitalize people who are communicating that if they leave my office they WILL die by suicide. I don't want people to be afraid to tell me their thoughts and feelings, because what is the point of therapy if you can't share your dark truths, understandable truths given what you have been through? My thoughts and prayers are with you through your grief stricken heart. I would encourage you not to see yourself as broken, instead see yourself as some one who has survived to this point, no matter how difficult it is. Try to find hope in the happy memories and live in those spaces as much as you can, this may mitigate your grief somewhat for a while, but I think that is better than the alternative. Please take care of yourself, give yourself grace and mercy and forgiveness. The world is a better place with you in it.
I asked the police officer in my home while first responders were out looking for my daughter to call me an ambulance. I went into the psych ward. They can't hold you for more than 72 hours without a psychiatrist signing off on that and I wasn't a danger to myself or anyone else so far as they could see (let me tell you, it's very easy to hide those feelings). It was THE BEST EXPERIENCE I have EVER had in any medical setting. I was heavily sedated, Ativan, and when I needed more I'd go to the nurse's station and hold out my hand but it wasn't the doctors or nurses who helped me (although I have very little memory of them doing anything when they must have done things) It was THE OTHER PATIENTS.
Remember, I was in the lock down portion of the psych ward, where doors are locked and you can't get out of the ward. The people in there were there because they were in CRISIS. They were suffering their own horrors. BUT every single patient on that floor, and to my memory I'll guess there were 10 or so? maybe more? HELPED ME every single day. They came to my room and took me with them to breakfast, lunch and dinner. They put a chair in a circle and sat around me, with me. They put me in front of the TV in the rec room, covered me with a blanket, and let me nap. I've never had care like that from anyone my entire lifetime, actually. The day I was thrown out - I did NOT WANT TO LEAVE - the Dr. told me I wasn't psychotic so I couldn't stay - the other PATIENTS hugged me, prayed with me, and encouraged me.
Don't be afraid of going into the psych ward. My daughter was there four times but she was profoundly ill. If you're basically lucid, not suffering from any serious mental illness - it is NOT A BAD PLACE. They can observe you, offer medication and if you have a bad response they can give you the antidote, and make an informed opinion about what medication to send you home with. In my case, they made arrangements with a behavioral health place in my area for a psychiatrist and a therapist. For one year, I saw two therapists a week and a psychiatrist. LET THEM HELP YOU. You're not helping yourself by refusing to cooperate.
God loves all of us more than the universe. The loss of a
loved one is always heart-breaking. But it is comforting to
know that if we follow God's laws, we will all end up in
eternal bliss.
So sorry for your loss. Words can't describe how painful that must be for you.
Hi, Healing from complicated grief alone is nearly impossible. I hope you are able to get some help. In addition to personal therapy with a grief pratitioner, there is a really well done grief group that I attend. It's the first Saturday of the month on zoom, 1 to 2:15 Eastern time. You can find out more about Kathy, the grief counselor who leads the group at https://join.caringourway.com/members/6395765.
It's a small group, open ended, drop-in, No commitment, free of charge. There is a small group of us that go every month and have for a couple of years just because it's a nice group of people and there is always something going on with anniversaries of losses etc. And to be there to listen and support people as they come and go. Please think about joining us in Feb. There are people from all over the world who attend. It's a very safe place to talk or not talk. It's less of a conversation than each person taking whatever time they need to talk without interruption. Please think about it. Grief left unhealed grows worse and worse every day and doesn't lead to anywhere good. There is no reason for you to be and remain alone in your pain. Come share. Be.
Thank you I will check it out. I've tried to find a support group local I could go to but haven't found one
Thank you I will not end my life cause I can not hurt my kids and grandkids they are living in the same nightmare as me from our loss. However if one of the 4 of them were to die I will not remain to live that pain I can not handle anymore no amount of therapy or medications or whatever can give me enough strength to live this pain doubled