There’s never an easy way forward whenever a loved one passes on, perhaps even more so when your loved one dies by suicide. The typical stages of grief become complicated by conflicting emotions regarding the nature of the suicide. You might experience anger, confusion, guilt, and other feelings that make it difficult to cope after a loved one commits suicide. If you’re reeling in the aftermath of such a tragedy, a few coping strategies might help you process it.
Accept support from friends and family
All too often, people are uncomfortable talking about suicide. They don’t know how to offer condolences, and they are uncertain how to help the survivors. You can help your grieving process by reaching out to people you trust. Talk to your surviving loved ones when you need someone to listen, and let them know how you feel and how they can help.
Hire professionals to help with arrangements
Depending on how you feel in the wake of a tragedy, it may be in your best emotional interest to hire professionals to help you with funeral planning and other procedures. If your loved one committed suicide inside the home, professional cleaning services can also help dispose of any hazardous biomaterial and take care of the suicide cleanup procedure to relieve the burdens on loved ones. Taking care of funeral arrangements and dealing with an unlivable home scene while grieving can be challenging, especially when making so many unexpected and expensive decisions.
Stop asking why
If you continue to obsess about why your loved one decided to commit suicide, you’ll never get an answer. All you’ll do is torture yourself as you try to understand the situation. Getting answers to the question will not reduce your grieving experience. On the contrary, continuing to ask the question can extend the grieving process and make you feel worse.
Talk to a counselor or join a support group
Working through grief is tough, even when loved ones die from natural causes. Being a suicide survivor is filled with mixed emotions that make grieving even more difficult.
You can help yourself by talking to a counselor or joining a support group for people with similar issues. Working with a professional therapist won’t fix all your struggles, but a therapist will help you cope. If you join a grief support group, you’ll get to learn from people who have had to continue living after losing a loved one to suicide.
Many people use social media to share information about a loved one’s passing. Unfortunately, some social media users take the opportunity to attack and post offensive messages. If you post information about the death on social media, avoid making your posts public.
Create a place for healing
Survivors often benefit from having a place to go to memorialize their loved ones. Creating a memorial or a quiet place to reflect can help your healing happen. The place could be a scrapbook, a memorial garden, a blog, or a charity that helps people affected by suicide.
Wrap up
The pain of suicide never goes away, and you’ll find that life will keep reminding you of the experience. There will be a range of emotions, but you can find ways to help you cope when these triggers appear. Consider working with professionals and finding strength in the memories of your loved one, your friends, and your family to help you live with the grief.
