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Daddy Blackbird

@daddyblackbird.bsky.social

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · Nov 17

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all.” | Emily Dickinson

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 2h

Thank you 🙏

Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 13h

I thought loss by suicide was the worst thing that could happen.

But grief creates cracks that the wrong people step into.

This article is a hard one to read, about control, fear and how easy it is to vanish while still alive.

#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Grief #CoerciveControl #Vulnerability

Terror replaces grief...

Daddy Blackbird #25

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 3d

Hopping on a train to #London Waterloo 🚆

I’m delivering a session to BW, an office refurb company.

‘Seven Switches’ is all about small shifts in language that can make a big difference when we talk about #suicide - turning fear into #compassion, and silence into support.

#DaddyBlackbird 🐦‍⬛💛

A colour selfie photo of md smiling and standing on a train platform

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 6d

Last weekend, Evie, Ada and I joined Sekawomen’s Autumn Reset Retreat 🌿🍂

A day of restorative reflection, sharing our story, hope, self-care and celebration 🎉🎂

Reminder: investing in yourself isn’t indulgent, it’s essential 💛🙏

#SelfCare #Wellbeing #Reflection

A collage of photos of different women and girls at an autumn retreat

Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 6d

Everyone grieves in their own way and time.

There is no “normal” timeline, path or flow after suicide loss.

The pain will twist and turn, come and go.

Be patient, with yourself and with each other 💛

#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #SuicideLoss #Kindness #Hope 🐦‍⬛🪁

Grief after suicide is unique. There’s no rush to ‘move on.’

Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 7d

After my husband's suicide, grief left me vulnerable in ways I didn’t see.

It stripped away my confidence and my sense of self and it led me to dangerous places where people that couldn't be trusted lurked.

This is my toughest chapter yet: #DaddyBlackbird 24 💔

#SuicideLoss #Trauma #Grief

Falling into harmful hands

Daddy Blackbird #24

open.substack.com

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 7d

They do indeed. It’s why we need to keep busting unhelpful myths like this.

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 7d

❌ MYTH: “They’re just attention-seeking.”

✔️ FACT: Suicide behaviours are often ways to cope with unbearable pain or to ask for help when words fail.

Dismissing this as attention-seeking adds shame.

The response matters.

It can shape whether someone seeks help or not 💛

#DaddyBlackbird

Asking for help isn’t attention-seeking. It’s a sign of someone fighting to stay.

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 7d

You’re very kind, thank you. It’s one of those demons I’m still grappling with but I’m getting there. We’ve faced the very worst of humanity but I’m pleased to say we’ve also met some of the very best on this grief journey 💛

Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 7d

💛💛💛

Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 7d

Thank you, Debbie. It’s something I can talk a little more about, now that we are out the other side of it. But there’s still so much more to process.
My priority now is protecting my girls and sharing what a vulnerable state we’re in after grief, and how not everyone will be a friend to us 💔

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 7d

How do we talk about the parts of #grief we’re ashamed of?

After Steve's suicide, grief left me vulnerable in ways I didn’t see.

It stripped away my confidence and sense of self and pulled me into the wrong hands.

My hardest chapter yet: #DaddyBlackbird No. 24 💔

#SuicideLoss #Trauma #Grief

Falling into harmful hands

Daddy Blackbird #24

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 8d

Just because someone has died doesn’t mean the conversation ends.

We still want to talk about them.

The ordinary things. The ridiculous things.

The painful and the beautiful.

Please don’t shy away. That’s where healing lives.

#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #SuicideLoss #Hope

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 9d

‼️ People bereaved by suicide are 65% more likely to take their own life ‼️

Grief after suicide often comes with guilt, shame, and stigma.

These feelings can isolate and silence people who most need support.

We must break the silence, not add to it.

#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #Grief #Hope

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 10d

Changing the narrative on suicide doesn’t begin with experts or therapists.

It begins with us.

With choosing courage over silence.

With reaching in, even when we’re unsure what to say 💛
 #DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #StartTheConversation

“You don’t need to have all the answers. You just need to show you care.”

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 11d

Small talk can save lives.
 A comment about the weather. A gentle check-in. A "How have you really been?"
 It might feel like nothing to you, but to someone struggling, it could be a light in the darkness.
 #DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #SmallTalkSavesLives #ConnectionMatters

Small talk creates connection. Connection creates hope.

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 12d

❌ MYTH: You should be ‘over it’ by now.

✔️ FACT: There’s no deadline for grief. We don’t move on, we move forward, carrying what we lost.

#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Grief

You don’t get over it, you grow around it.

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 13d

Grief changes the rules 💔

After Steve’s suicide I longed to be rescued from the pain.

In my latest article I write about that ache for connection, and how it reshapes what safety looks like, leaving you vulnerable and at risk…

#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Vulnerability #Grief

Reaching for rescue

Daddy Blackbird #23

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 13d

❌ MYTH: Only close friends and family are affected by a suicide.

✔️ FACT: One single suicide touches on average 135 people - from friends to colleagues to strangers who saw themselves in the story.

#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #SuicideAwareness #Postvention #GriefHasNoRules

"You didn’t have to be close to be changed."

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 14d

Kindness can be tricky at times.

We worry about saying the wrong thing.

But saying nothing can leave someone feeling more alone.
 You don’t have to be perfect.

You just need to be present 💛
 #DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #SpeakUp #MentalHealthSupport #Compassion 🐦‍⬛

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 14d

🚨Grief changes the rules 🚨

After Steve died, I longed for rescue - grief lowered my guard and made anything soothing feel safe.

In my latest article I write about that ache for connection, and how it reshapes what safety looks like, leaving you all vulnerable and at risk…

#DaddyBlackbird

Reaching for rescue

Daddy Blackbird #23

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 15d

Thank you, Anne-Marie! So much of it comes down to the spaces that communities create to let people like us feel safe to speak and share. This was a very special one indeed!
And my hand is aching from all the notes I took! Always so much to learn! More on LinkedIn where the word count is kinder 😃

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 15d

Yesterday I spoke at the Suicide Bereavement UK global conference.

It was incredible.

My story was heard. My words were appreciated. My grief was validated.

I met outstanding people.

I learnt loads.

I came away richer and stronger.

What an epic day 💛

#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Belonging

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 20d

Absolutely. And these listening tips from @samaritans.bsky.social are excellent 💛💚

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Daddy Blackbird @daddyblackbird.bsky.social · 20d

Sometimes the hardest conversations are the ones we avoid.

Speaking gently, listening fully, can save more lives than silence ever will 💛🐦‍⬛

#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #Compassion #Kindness

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