September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people.
My son Reed was so embarrassed for being suspended from school and kicked off the basketball team for the rest of the year, he wanted to die. When he was upset, he wanted to be left alone to work things out. We honored that. His dad talked with the basketball coach. I did not take his hand so he could be with me as I comforted his girlfriend. He did not feel my hug as she did. He did not hear me say, “We all make mistakes. You are forgiven. You are a good person.”
He ran home and bent over his granddad’s shotgun. That single shot shattered our lives.
51% of teens are afraid to talk to their parents about personal problems. 54% of teens are afraid to talk to their teachers about personal problems.
I am discovering that adults in shame, even when they have talked to someone, complete suicide.
When a faced with bullying, looming financial disaster or even the overwhelm of never-ending laundry, we may feel there is no one that can understand and love us through this mess, this shame, this pain. TOUCH can transform that despair
Is the pain of your grief unbearable?
Are you afraid that it will never go away?
Do you simply want to feel better?
I remember those dark mornings walking in the trees on the golf course. Not even the sun was there to comfort me. I felt so alone. I wept.
I did not know then that with a simple touch, a hug, I could comfort myself. I did not know with curious attention to that touch, a new center in my brain would light up.
Mindful Touch transforms Grief Pain because it brings you into the present moment. It is the memory of the past event that triggers anger, sadness and despair. Longing for that person, pet, job to return. Longing to feel better. Longing for respite from the overwhelm of all there is to deal with now keeps us stuck in grief.
So try it. What have you got to loose? You can’t get it wrong.
1. Give yourself a Hug. It IS that simple.
2. Now notice with curiosity:
a. which hand is over and which is under?
b. how much pressure do you feel from your right hand? from your left hand?
c. What is the temperature of the back of each hand? Under each hand?
d. Take your attention to the space beneath each hand and notice is there an image, color or texture?
e. Breathe and watch the movement of your hands in this position.
f. How are you feeling now?
g. Now move as you hug yourself. Walk. Hop. Skip.
h. Now put the other hand on top and repeat b. through g.
i. How are your feeling now?
Be In TOUCH and email me with your experience.
Please watch share this prevention video to see more on how to Prevent Suicide with TOUCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdSnditg-A0
NOW please share this prevention video with those you love. We never know the power of a single TOUCH.
