September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and not only is it for spreading suicide awareness and reaching out to those who are fighting, but also for honoring those who have lost their battle against suicide, and assuring that their names are not forgotten.
In 2013 (the most recent year in which full data was available), 41,149 suicides were reported in the United States alone. It is our job to make sure that the lives of these people- our friends, family members, neighbors, and peers- are still remembered and celebrated even though they are gone.
There are countless ways for you to honor those lost.
- Write about your loved one(s) and share it in a way that feels best to you.
- Planting a tree in their honor
- Get together old photos and memories to create a scrapbook or memory box. You may also get other friends, family members and loved ones involved.
- Walk to raise awareness.
- Share stories and beliefs of lost loved ones so that their thoughts and feelings may live on.
- Participate in a support group for others coping with loss from suicide.
And, last but not least, the best way to honor our fallen loved ones is simply by living. Live life joyfully and abundantly, the way that they would have wished. Spread love and hope and encouragement, and the message that no person is alone. Thousands of voices are silenced to suicide each year.. but not forever. We can be the voices of those lost.
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