Help the child put names to her emotions: “It sounds like you’re angry,” or “I hear you blaming yourself, but this is not your fault.” Acknowledge and normalize the child’s feelings. Use age-appropriate language to discuss the death with children. Don’t dwell on details of the act itself, but don’t hide the truth. Pause to reflect on and manage your own emotions so you can speak calmly to the child or children in your life.īe honest. These strategies can help you foster open dialogue and offer support.ĭeal with your own feelings first. Parents, teachers, school administrators, and other adults in a child’s life often feel unprepared to help a young person cope with a death by suicide. Psychologists and other mental health professionals can help you express and manage your feelings and find healthy coping tools. People who don’t think of themselves as support group types are often surprised by how helpful such groups can be. Support groups can help you process your emotions alongside others who are experiencing similar feelings. There is often stigma around suicide, and many loss survivors suffer in silence. Accept help from those who have been supports in the past, including your family, your friends, or members of your faith-based community. Taking care of your physical self can improve your mood and give you the strength to cope.ĭraw on existing support systems. Do your best to get enough sleep and eat regular, healthy meals. Focus on what you need, and accept that others’ paths might be different from yours.Ĭare for yourself. There’s no standard timeline for grieving and no single right way to cope. Those feelings are normal and can vary throughout the healing process.ĭon’t worry about what you “should” feel or do. You might expect to feel grief and despair, but other common feelings include shock, denial, guilt, shame, anger, confusion, anxiety, loneliness, and even, in some cases, relief.
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