When grieving the death of a person in your life to suicide, it can be difficult to answer questions related to your person or how they died. Special events and holidays are especially hard when the questions tend to roll in about the whereabouts and wellbeing of family and friends. It can be helpful to build a 'tough question toolkit' with a range of options and answers. In collaboration with Eluna's bereavement team and suicide grief support committee, we have developed this resource with possible questions & answers to consider as you build your toolkit of responses.
Safe Storytelling
Author: Custom Resource by the Eluna Team
Grieving the death of a person in your life is part of your personal story - one that you can decide when and where to share. In preparation, it can be empowering to explore different levels of sharing and boundaries that work best for you. In collaboration with Eluna's bereavement team and suicide grief support committee, we have put together this resource with storytelling tips and sample scripts based upon age, relationship, & setting. Remember that you have control over what to share and when – this is your story.
Storytelling Tips:
- Practice by writing or drawing your story in a private journal or diary.
- Start by sharing your story with one trusted adult and role-play different scenarios.
- Even if you share very few details about the way that someone died, you can still share several details about your feelings, what that person meant to you, and how their death has changed your life.
- Be kind to yourself: It’s okay to feel that you may have shared too much or too little. Storytelling will look and sound different each time based upon many factors!