You came immediately to mind when I read this today and I wanted to share it with you.

It's from the book, "Touched by Suicide" Hope and Healing After Loss by Michael Myers, M.D. and Carla Fine, and it's from the chapter, Reaching Out for Support.

Are you still with me?

"The defining part of losing a loved one to suicide is the isolation and alienation you feel from all that was once familiar. It's impossible to imagine that another person can understand the depth of your pain, grief, confusion, or loss. You can't believe anyone else has ever experienced what you are going through or felt so alone. Finding others who can be there for you - because they are there themselves - is the first step in your healing.

Research shows that you function much better and heal from stress more quickly if you are not isolated. Too much time by yourself can have ill effects:

* If you are all alone with your thoughts, you may find yourself churning through them over and over again. Without the perspective of another person, a so-called reality check, your thinking may become altered, distorted, or magnified. Soon, your recollection of what actually happened or what a person may have said can take on an exaggerated meaning. You can also begin to doubt what you heard. Being isolated can make you suspicious and paranoid, and you may find yourself questioning your loved ones' intentions and distancing yourself from them.

* It's difficult to distract yourself from your pain when you are all alone: You get no reprieve from your sorrow, your longing, your guilt. You may find some temporary success in intentionally shutting out your sad thoughts by reading a book or watching television, but all too often you'll probaably find these thoughts are still intruding and are stopping you from concentrating. This can be very frustrating and exhausting.

* Your mood can plummet with isolation. You can get quite depressed and not be able to function. This state of mind will just add to and compound your already low spirits.

* You can get stuck or paralyzed in your isolation and feel out of sync with others and what's going on in the world. It takes much longer and is more difficult to move through your grief if you are not in communication with other people or participating in their lives in any way.

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*grin...I know that this was not the book I sent you because it's fairly new!
Did I send you Tear Soup?

You need support dear lady....if you have none in your real life...let us give it to you. Trust me...I know for sure that you are not alone.