Are there specific resources, practices, or tools you’ve found helpful in maintaining your own mental well-being?
I’ve learned that often the best way to help yourself is to help others. Nobody ever fully recovers from losing a loved one to suicide, but it's something you learn to live with. I think helping others has been a huge help in my life. My heart breaks when I hear of someone dying by suicide because I know exactly what lies ahead for the family. It is a marathon of emotions and pain with no finish line.
I've been in this race for a long time, and it does get easier as you keep putting one foot in front of the other and educate yourself and get further and further from the starting line. I also believe it’s important to celebrate your loved one's birthday every year. Zach’s birthday is November 19th; I always try to have a nice dinner or something fun or memorable in his name. Sharing funny stories about Zach keeps his memory alive. For a long time, all the memories circled back to his suicide, but over time, I’ve been able to focus more on the good times. It’s cruel how the human mind can easily recall the worst tragedies of your life but has a harder time remembering the great days. That's why it's important to share stories of love and levity about your loved one. I have found that with time, eventually those good memories will start to outweigh the bad.