I saw this tonight as I was walking the dog. As my flashlight hit the plastic garbage can, I caught this heart in a glimpse. Charles saw a lot of dark because he didn’t sleep well. So when I saw it I thought about all the times he spent in the dark alone as a result of his depression and sleep issue diagnosed as Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome.
As soon as I saw it, I felt a pang in my own heart. Lack of sleep makes depression so much worse and I know in his final hours he had not slept well for days which contributed to his depression and ultimately his suicide. It was so frustrating that after decades I was never able to help my son find a restful night’s sleep.
I am an emotionally naked TEDx speaker, and author of the Book, Diary of a Broken Mind and co-author with Kim O'Brien PhD, LICSW of Emotionally Naked: A Teacher's Guide to Preventing Suicide and Recognizing Students at Risk. I raised two boys, Richard and Charles, and lost my younger son, Charles to substance use disorder and suicide on June 5, 2015. I help people foster a culture of connection to prevent suicide, reduce substance misuse and find life after loss. My motivational, training and workshop topics include suicide prevention, addiction, mental illness, coping strategies/resilience, and grief.
As talented and funny as Charles was, letting other people know they matter was his greatest gift. And now the legacy I try and carry forward in my son's memory.
Professional Speaker Website. Trained in ASIST and trainer for the evidence-based 4-hour training for everyone called safeTALK.
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One thought on “Night heart— #griefheart number 214”
Same. We tried Melatonin and all sorts of things for him.
Same. We tried Melatonin and all sorts of things for him.