What Now: How to Survive a Loss Due to Suicide

Today's guest Lisa Barnes is a survivor of suicide.  She lost her son Tre to suicide eleven years ago and made a decision to live.  Since that tragic day in January, 2012, she has become the poster child for surviving suicide.  Her mission is to bring hope to others by bringing suicide out of the darkness.  In addition to authoring What Now:  How to Survive a Loss Due to Suicide and a series of Awesome Arlo books for children, she raises awareness of suicide among family, friends and community.   She shared the following coping skills that enabled her to survive her son's suicide:  choose to live; be aware of feelings and where they can lead; be okay to not be okay every day; read and find special stories and poems, especially those about survival; learn your trigger dates (birthdays, death day, holidays, etc.) and plan for the anticipated grief on those dates; pay homage to your loved one lost to suicide; when feelings overwhelm you, have an escape plan from people and places; develop a support system of safe people and places; and take time to take care of yourself.   Please know and share the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and use 911 as a backup if that line is not functioning.   You can connect to Lisa and obtain copies of her books at lisabtheauthor@gmail.com.