A Day of Remembrance

November 23 was International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day.

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.

Know the signs….listen with your ears and your eyes.

Speak up for those who can’t.

Be an advocate.

Show compassion.

Have empathy.

Be patient.

Don’t shrug it off as ‘this too shall pass’……because it won’t…..at least not as quick as for some.

Someone says they are “fine”……ask them to describe ‘fine’.

Your friend or loved one needs you and most likely will not ask for help.

Start the conversation.

Ask them if they are safe.

Get to them and lay eyes on them ASAP.

Meet them where they are mentally.

Don’t let them sit alone. If they are in crisis, seek professional help immediately. Call 911 if needed.

Even if you don’t believe them. BELIEVE them anyway!!

It can and will be challenging.

Better days ARE ahead!

Show up!!!! Don’t take no for an answer. They are truly reaching out but don’t think anyone is going to listen nor understand.

Thoughts of suicide don’t always lead to an attempt but thoughts can certainly lead to action quickly. Take them seriously!

If you show up for them NOW, there’s a very good chance that you will never have to show up for Survivor of Suicide Loss Day.

Rest in Peace Nita, Kurt, Brett and many others I have known on my journey who have made a difference in my life but were in such pain they took their own.

Bless all who have laid to rest a loved one as a result of suicide. May these souls never be forgotten, always thought of as brave, no longer suffering and now at peace.

I am here for you! 💕

~MH

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.1-800-273-8255

Social Media does NOT Equal Social Connections

We are living in a time period where social media consumes our daily lives. One can have 1400+ ‘friends’ on their social media and not one of them they consider enough support to call upon in an hour of need.

Please go through your friends’ list of all social media and make notes of the ones who you can definitely call if needed and will actually be there, listen and support you. You may be surprised. My hope is there is at least one person. One is better than none.

If there is not even one, please get back into the ‘real’ world to find that person. Human connections need to be real.

We’re connected…..yet we’re SO not connected.

Get Connected!

I Care! Let’s Talk! 💕😊

No Blame. No Shame.

“Suicide, mental illness and addiction are the only illnesses we blame the person for perpetually.” Kevin Hines

These are all illnesses of the brain. The brain is an organ just like any other organ in the body. It breaks down. It gets sick. It needs tending to and we must take care of it just like we do our other organs.

Embrace these illnesses…..change thinking patterns…..learn new ways to cope with distress, challenges and adversity.

We only know what we know……most often it is not enough. There is so much more! 💞😊

~MH

National Suicide Hotline

1-800-273-8255

Monday Motivation

We live our lives reacting to each and every event that happens to us.

In 2016 I was faced with what I consider a life altering event. I could have reacted so many different ways. I decided not to react at all. One of the best decisions I ever made!

Sometimes no reaction is more productive and healthy then any and all reactions to a given event.

Remember that the next time you get the impulse to react…you don’t have to!

You can simply do nothing and walk away.

Try it! I guarantee you will discover a new you! It is a skill needed in everyone’s ‘toolbox’. 😊

~MH

Yesteryear

I assisted an elderly person with a moving sale. There were many albums…vinyl is their new name. There was a box of conversational Spanish records. A young girl about the age of 10-12 asked if they were for learning to speak Spanish. I told her yes, but she would need a turntable to play them on. She then asked, “what is a turntable?”. I grabbed my walker, smiled, and told her that’s what we had when I was a little girl. Seems like yesterday to me! 😩 😂

Enjoy today for tomorrow will be here all too soon.

~MH

Monday Motivation – tr

I came home and got out of my car and there was this big bug on the back door and I realized it was a grasshopper. I got a broom and swatted him off of the door so I could get into the house. I didn’t want to kill him but did not want him to jump into my face. He hopped all around the garage.

I came home the next day and needed to go back-and-forth to storage as I had recently moved so I got in my car and on my windshield was that same grasshopper! I first thought he was inside the car and then I finally could see that he was on the outside. Of course! I realized if he was inside the car he would’ve had to have been clinging to the windshield from his backside which I don’t think he was capable of doing. Lol! He traveled with me all the way to the QT and beyond.

I got to thinking….. grasshoppers must have some sort of meaning.
I recalled the last time I encountered one was when I was working as a nursing home administrator out in the country back in 2011. There wasn’t just one…..there were hundreds of grasshoppers in the grass by my car! I had never seen so many! I guess one wanted to get to know me better. He hopped on my windshield and traveled with me all the way home which was about an hour drive and he clung to the windshield the entire time. I was amazed and impressed!


My second encounter with this very unique creature sparked the curiosity in me and I looked up the meaning of a grasshopper. This is what I found…..


“When the grasshopper appears to us we are being asked to take a leap of faith and jump forward into a specific area of life without fear. Usually that specific area is one that we have avoided and is often connected to change on a larger scale. This can represent a change in location, relationships, career or just in the way we perceive ourselves.
Grasshoppers can only jump forward….not backward, or sideways. So, when grasshopper shows up they could be reaffirming to you that you are taking the right steps to move forward in your current situation. Or it could be that they are telling you to go ahead and move forward, getting past what is hindering you. This is why grasshopper is the symbol of good luck all over the world. Grasshopper’s ability to connect and understand sound vibrations is why he is also a symbol of your inner voice. he could be telling you to trust yours.”


2011 was a rough patch in my life or one of the many, I must say, but I overcame it with success and ended up going to grad school and finding my passion in mental illness as a therapist. I was somewhat stuck at the time trying to make a decision on my future. I am again at a crossroads and the grasshopper has given me a new look on life.


Many of you are going to say ‘oh it’s just a grasshopper and she’s putting too much into this’.


I truly believe that life has meaning and I’m a believer in finding meaning in every situation, good or bad that comes our way. Without meaning it would have no impact on us whatsoever.


Stop and think about it.


Believing in something…..anything…. is what gets us through each day on this earth.


Don’t ever stop believing……for when you do life comes to a halt and it’s going to do that soon enough on its own.


I hope you stumble across your grasshopper!


Be well and have a great week!!! 💞
~MH

Expectations

A week or so ago a colleague said to me “you expect too much from other people” and I thought hard for a moment and then it hit me that I expect a lot from myself most often. It was an ‘aha! moment. I responded “well, that’s because I expect a lot from myself”. They said that was the problem. 🤔 I don’t think it’s a problem at all! It is one trait that sets me apart from others. We all have them. I will try my best to not be so hard on others but so far expecting a lot from myself has not hindered my functionality and therefore I will keep going.

I can only be ‘me’ because that’s the only ‘me’ I know to be!

Embrace your uniqueness! Be YOU! 😊

~MH

Recovery

I know it is painfully difficult to wait for medication to work or wait for anything to work. Continue reading, walking the dogs, golfing, etc…doing the normal daily activities that you’ve done in the past and time will pass. I suggest less TV adding more reading and being outside in nature even if it’s sitting outside and doing absolutely nothing because that’s OK!

Put the worries in a worry jar to be revisited at a later date. Start where you are every single day. Have no expectations and let each day appear as it will.


Don’t think about life having to change but think of it more in terms of adding new things to an already established routine. Reading, walking 30 minutes a day even if it’s 15 minutes twice a day and mindfulness/meditation. Those three things, over time, can make a big difference in how we think and feel.


Without hope there can be no plan but where there’s a plan there is hope. 😊