Your story isn’t over
Today is World Semicolon Day.
A semicolon is used when a sentence could have ended… but didn’t.
So if you’re still here, still breathing, still fighting - your story isn’t over.
Pause. Continue. Keep going.
#WorldSemicolonDay #SuicideAwareness #DaddyBlackbird #Hope 💛🐦⬛
This organisation looks amazing! 💛🐦⬛
One life lost. 135 hearts shattered.
One suicide impacts far more than one life.
Research suggests at least 135 people are affected.
Change starts with conversation. Let’s challenge stigma, prioritise mental health, and remember that suicide prevention is everybody’s business.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness
PAUSE P – Pay full attention A – Acknowledge without fixing U – Use questions and silence wisely S – Show understanding E – Empathise, not analyse
In conversations about mental health suicide or distress, our instinct is often to help by offering solutions.
But real connection starts when we PAUSE - when we make space to listen, not fix 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealth #SuicideAwareness #Listening #Empathy #Compassion #Kindness
Better words exist. Let’s use them.
❌ We don’t say “committed suicide.”
We choose gentler alternatives, like “died by suicide.”
Because no one commits cancer. Or heartbreak.
It’s not political correctness. It’s kindness.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Grief #Hope
My daughter was 2 when her dad died by #suicide.
Kids don’t always talk about #grief but it’s always there 💔
Years later, a comment, a #dream, a quiet moment shows it.
Watching her has taught me how we quietly carry #loss.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Hope 💛🐦⬛
Thank you! 💛🙏🐦⬛
💛💛💛
Choosing yourself isn’t selfish—it’s survival.
Nobody can save you but yourself, and you’re worth saving. It’s a war not easily won, but if anything is worth winning then this is it.” | Charles Bukowski 💛💛💛
#DaddyBlackbird #Selfcare #Compassion #Kindness
One of the greatest privileges of parenthood is watching a child find their voice.
This week’s Daddy Blackbird article is about my daughter Evie, who was nine when her dad died by #suicide.
Today she’s a college student turning loss into music, courage and leadership 💛
#DaddyBlackbird 🐦⬛💛
Small talk creates connection. Connection creates hope.
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
Suicide doesn’t discriminate. Compassion shouldn’t either.
❌MYTH: It only happens to certain people.
✔️FACT: #Suicide doesn’t belong to one gender, culture, age, or group. Although we know it’s more common among men, it can affect anyone.
We all have a role to play in noticing, listening, and supporting 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #hope 🐦⬛
Ok
The image shows a blue background with white puffy clouds. In the bottom right corner is the text www.daddyblackbird.com and above it sits a small illustrated blackbird. In the bottom right corner is an illustration of a weight scale. The title at the top reads Debits and Credits and below this is a table with two columns. The right hand column reads: A pointless meeting Unexpected bills Grumpy children Stressful project Feeling poorly Cancelled plans The left columns reads: A long walk Cooking a Sunday roast A trip to the cinema A wild swim A day volunteering An hour with a good book
If you’re not feeling as sprightly as usual, give this a try:
Think of your energy level and imagine it’s a bank statement.
Try applying an imaginary value to each of the debits and credits.
Keep your balance topped up by banking those credits whenever you can.
#DaddyBlackbird #Hope 💛
One life lost. 135 hearts shattered.
One suicide impacts far more than one life.
Research suggests at least 135 people are affected.
Change starts with conversation. Let’s challenge stigma, prioritise mental health, and remember that suicide prevention is everybody’s business.
#DaddyBlackbird #ChangingTheNarrative #WSPD2025
Compassion starts with a conversation.
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
Our bench was the 51st one, laid last September. You can read about it and see more photos here > www.legend-on-the-bench.co.uk/post/legend-...
You don’t get over it, you grow around it.
❌ 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
In the weeks after Steve’s suicide, family gathered.
Then, slowly disappeared.
Most never returned.
The world became smaller.
But what remained - my girls, my mum - became everything.
Learning to fiercely love those who stay is one way I survived.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Hope 💛🐦⬛
Grief after suicide is unique. There’s no rush to ‘move on.’
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 🐦⬛🪁
A group of birds sit on the branch of a tree. Above the branch a blackbird is hovering. The accompanying text reads: We may not be able to take away each others’ pain but we can sit with each other on it
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” | Dalai Lama 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #SuicidePrevention #Kindness #Compassion #Hope
Isn’t it such a wonderful movement. And all those involved are such lovely people. I’m very proud to have our own bench. Thank you for taking the time to watch it 💛🧡💛
That’s very kind, Veronica. Thank you x
In the weeks after Steve’s suicide, family gathered.
Then, slowly disappeared.
Most never returned.
The world became smaller.
But what remained - my girls, my mum - became everything.
Learning to fiercely love those who stay is one way I survived.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Hope 💛🐦⬛
Survival can look like strength. Or denial. Or both.
People grieving after loss by suicide can look like they’re coping.
They show up. They laugh. They keep going.
But that doesn’t mean they’re okay.
Sometimes, the bravest face hides the deepest ache.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Grief #Hope
We don’t recover from complex grief, we learn to live beside it.
Suicide grief can be very different because it often involves intense feelings of guilt, shame, and unanswered questions.
It can also carry stigma, making it difficult to find the right support.
Survivors must learn to live in this harsh landscape.
#DaddyBlackbird #Grief #ComplexGrief
Beautiful. And absolutely spot on 💛
The sun rises and we try again
It’s ok if today didn’t go quite the way you planned it 💛
The sun rises and we try again ☀️
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #BookSky #MedSky #PositivePsychology #Kindness #SelfCare #Hope
How can we support those who are grieving?
Be generous
Be curious
Be honest
Be real
Be proactive
Be specific
Be patient
Be thoughtful
Be human
Be kind
Be compassionate
Be helpful
Be there
Be prepared to get it wrong at times.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #SuicidePostvention #MentalHealth #Hope
Even the best listeners need someone to listen to them
We don’t talk enough about what it takes to hold space for someone struggling.
It’s not just listening.
It’s absorbing.
It’s carrying stories home.
If you’ve ever been that person - the listener, the one people turn to - I see you.
You deserve space too 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness