LOSS Affirmations Book

The LOSS program would like to publish a daily reflections book to help survivors of suicide endure the days and moments in the aftermath of a tragic loss by suicide. In the aftermath of suicide, the surviving friends and family are left with shock, bewilderment, despair, guilt, blame, anger and many feel like they are on an inevitable “roller coaster” of emotions. Many people use daily reflections books as a way of grounding themselves in the moment and getting through the day. Individuals can place this reflections book on their desk at work or keep it in their purse to look at it throughout the day. Survivors can reflect on the day and take comfort in other survivor’s words and insights. The daily reflections book will total 400 pages with 365 pages of affirmations, reflections, thoughts, ideas, feedback, and suggestions from survivors of suicide.

We need your help to publish this book. Please send us a thought or affirmation about your evolution through the grief process. Was there something that someone said to you that really stood out? Was there something that you said to yourself to get you through the day?

Submission Guidelines:

Submissions can be a short sentence, a brief thought, or it can be a few sentences (see example on back of page). Submissions should be no longer than 200 words. Please submit all work before January 1, 2013. The preferred method of submission would be via the loss website at www.catholiccharities.net/loss but you can email them to JBaldonieri@catholiccharities.net, or mail them to 721 N. LaSalle St. Chicago 60654.

A committee of Catholic Charities staff will review and edit each submission. If your submission is appropriate and the Committee determines that it could be helpful to other survivors it will be included. The book editors will make every effort to maintain the original words of the submission, but we will make edits where needed. Your name will appear as your first name and last initial or you can also choose to remain anonymous. Please indicate if you would like to remain anonymous by checking the box below.

By initialing below you confirm that you understand and agree that: Catholic Charities has your permission to edit your submission as determined solely by the Committee and that Catholic Charities has your permission and the right to publish the edited version of your submission in the Reflections Book which may be offered to the public; you also confirm that you understand that your submission is completely voluntary and that you will not be compensated in any way; additionally, you affirm that the language of your submission is in your own words unless you indicate otherwise (e.g., if you are submitting a quotation, you must indicate who the author is on the submission); finally, you agree to release Catholic Charities from any claim related to your submission.

Example:

March 8

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After my father killed himself, I remember feeling 25% sad and 75% anger. I was so angry that he would do that, and initially I thought that it was incredibly selfish. Yes, you were struggling but now we are struggling even more. It took me a few years to realize that he did not take his life because he was selfish or spiteful, but because death was better than the intolerable amount of pain that his life had brought him. With this newfound knowledge I began to forgive him, and I think that at this point is when I began grieving him as well.

-Jessica B.

Edwin Schneidman coined the term ‘psycheache’. Psychache is when a person had reached the threshold for their psychological pain. It is at this point that people take their lives. Suicide is not rational. The person who took their life was in an intolerable amount of psychological pain, this is the only way that I have found to rationalize it.