Struggling with bereavment by suicide
This blog looks at the experience of losing a loved one to suicide. What are you to expect from such a loss? How can you look after yourself in the immediate and long-term experience of the loss? How to develop hope for your future while still having sadness for the person you have lost?
When Humanity goes Ape
Has humanity evolved from being the hero to becoming the vilan in recent years? In my view the planet of the Apes films reflect that it is now appropriate to say they have.
Has our perception of ourselves as a race become more muddied and negative over the decades. If so Apes films still present a view of humanity that is hopeful.
Words to the broken hearted
Positive quotes about our ability to overcome adversity. While such quotes can seem over;y simplistic they can still spur us on to better things.
Supporting the fragile
How do we support our loved ones when their mood is low and behaviour is very negative? We should not be affraid to engage with them anjust sit with them in their space.
We do not have to cheer them up, or help solve their problems. If they want company they mostly just want you to be there.
This maybe enough for them to share with you what pain they are dealing with and start to heal.
Managing a suicidal emergency
If you walk into what seems to be a suicide attempt the first thing to manage is your own shock. Positive, active, immediate interventionis are essential. Get medical support if needed. Assess the degree of suicidality and maintin a safe an area as possible. Don’t be afraid to ask direct questions and keep with the client until their risk has decreased or they are with somone else safe. Occupy the person and try to remove them from the location you found them in.
Suicide: Can Counselling help?
How therapy can help a suicidal person. First assessment of risk. Help the client identify reasons to live. Developing long term skills in wanting to stay alive. Four therapeutic approaches that maybe used are highlighted.
Dying to survive: Facts about suicide in Ireland
The reality of suicide has touched all of us in some way.
The statistics of suicide are bleak.
Whether it is younger or older people, male or female, the reasons for suicide are individual to each person’s story. Common to most stories are the realities of isolation and hopelessness. Perhaps this is because by the time a person comes to the point of suicide, they have stopped properly engaging with people and have lost hope that there is any solution apart from death.
Thankfully, there are numerous emergency services available via the phone to meet these people in their time and place of need.
Eating disorders and food control
Eating disorders are one of the hardest conditions to treat. The person involved has many layers of hurt that the control of food becomes their seemingly only way to cope with emotional pain.
Unfortunately, the associated behaviours are often very manipulative and destructive on the person themselves and those close to them.
When occurring in a family context, family therapy is often the main therapeutic approach, with individual support as needed.
This blog covers the main types of eating disorders. The cognitive, behavioural and emotional impacts are also discussed.
Failure - The fear around every corner
The fear of failure is one of the greatest draws holding a man back in life. The fear of failing at risky things like a new job or at passing exams etc. is perfectly normal. The problem is when you begin to identify yourself as a failure at life just because you have had failures in your life.
This self identifying yourself as a failure is devestating. It destroys your confidence in social situations, professionally, your role in your family. Simply put you don’t want others to know about your failures and you hide.
The way to shake off the failure mantra is to teach yourself first and foremost failing is normal. Everyone fails.
Repeat to yourself “I am not afailure, just because somethings in my life failed”.
Eventually you will then be able to develop ways to manage failure as it happens and to learn from it so as to decrease its risk of return.
And this is how I got my life back after Cancer?
Three months post-discharge from hospital. My cancer story seemed to come to an end. I was discharged from the day hospital. I had the internal tube removed that gave me chemotherapy during those 5 months as an inpatient.
While the significance of this was real, I truly was passed my direct cancer treatment. The cancer was gone, but my life was forever changed. I looked back, I tried to look forward, but in truth, I was still in shock.