I want you to know that I'm really sorry your friend died.  I really am.  Death is very hard - and, especially when your friend dies by suicide.  It just feels like a whole different thing...

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I'm sure you're going through a lot right now - a lot of different things.  And, although so much of this is normal, it might not feel that way.   Because nothing really prepares you for this.  So, knowing what to expect right now, and even what you'll experience in the weeks and months to come, is really important.​

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We don't really talk openly about losing a friend to suicide.  It's a tough topic.  It tends to make people pretty uncomfortable, and we never really expect it'll happen to us anyway.  So, right now, you probably have a lot of questions, and a real mix of emotions that feel odd at times, or maybe kind of 'up and down'.  And, a lot of people in your life will want to properly support you through all of this... but they may not know how.   They'll mean well, but they'll struggle...

 

So, your support people will need specific information and guidance to properly understand you right now.  They'll need to know what a person needs (and doesn't need!) after a friend dies by suicide. 

 

And, you'll need this information too... so you can more fully understand yourself and all the things you'll experience as you grieve and process all of this.  It'll also help you understand and support your friends who are going through this too.

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To help you with this, I've put together two very comprehensive and informative manuals - one for you, and one for your support people.  Each manual offers specific information about:

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•   Suicide, and the different questions you likely have about this.

•   What your friend might have been going through that feels confusing to you right now.

•   What you might experience right after your friend's death.

•   What's normal for you to experience as time goes on.

•   Some of the different stages of your grief, and what these might specifically look like for you.

•   What needs you'll have at the different stages of grieving your friend's death.

•   What things might indicate that you need more professional support right now.

•   How to talk about your friend's death when you need to, and who to do this with (and who not to).

•   How to support yourself and your friends, both initially and as time goes on.

•   How to do 'normal daily life' on days when things don't feel so normal.

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And, again, I'm really sorry you've lost your friend, and in this way.  This is a lot to go through and it does have different parts to it.  It just does.  So, go ahead and take your time.  And, allow these to give you, and your support people, some really vital guidance and information right now:

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