The Counselor's Bookshelf:
|
The Counselor's Bookshelf:
|
I follow the Washington Post on Instagram and this article popped up in June: This Mom Made a Few Don't Give Up Signs and Planted Them in Her Neighborhood. Soon, The Signs Went Global. Wow. Saddened by talking to a friend about the rise in teen suicides, Amy Wolff came up with a simple idea for helping people find hope and connection: Print lawn signs with inspiring messages. It sounds so simple, and even trite, but it turns out they are helping people by reminding them of the worthiness, strength and beauty, often at the times when they need it the most. On her Instagram feed she shares quotes from people who have been inspired by the signs in their own lives, and those who heard from others what a difference the signs made. Every time one of these posts pops up in my feed I feel the power of the message in my own life and I'm grateful it is being shared in so many places. Isn't it amazing how often we need to be reminded of our own worth, strength and beauty? Internalizing this kind of message isn't a one and done. It's a practice that we must come back to, again and again, as we navigate the rough waters of life. Follow Don't Give up Signs on Instagram, @dontgiveupsigns and visit the website to learn more, and buy signsm at https://www.dontgiveupsigns.com/ Here are a few posts from Instagram: “A neighbor who has never spoken to me before in 12 years of living in an apartment next door to our home, who years ago I’d see shaking his head at my political signs as he walked by, walked by my yard a few months ago. I said hello. He said nothing in response, as usual. Then he stopped and said, ‘Is that a suicide thing or something?’ I just said, ‘What, the sign? It could be, or not. Just a reminder that you matter.’ He said, ‘This may sound weird but I wanted to kill myself yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that, and walking by your house always gives me a boost.’ I said, ‘I’m glad you’re still here’ as he walked off. I was blown away.” #youmatter From July 31, 2019 “I want you to know how grateful I am that you're doing this. Recently I have suffered a loss of a family member and also my boyfriend broke up with me. I was driving home from work at about 2am just bawling my eyes out and really lost all hope and felt worthless and why am I here, etc etc etc. I suddenly saw the sign, Don’t Give Up. Thank you for what you're doing. #dontgiveup” From June 11, 2019 “I bought the signs and wristbands to hand out because I lost my brother to suicide 6 years ago. I’ve always been a supporter of the LGBTQ community and suicide is a major crisis in that community. This was the first parade for this particular small town. And I felt it was extremely important for them to know that they have allies, they have support and they are loved.” #youareworthyoflove From June 25, 2019
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
The Counselor's Bookshelf:Sharing the books, articles, podcasts, and other resources I'm drawing from personally, and in my work as a counselor. Archives
October 2019
Categories
All
|