Two Brothers Initiative

It’s hard to believe you’re both gone. It’s hard to believe you won’t be here for another Christmas or birthday.

I’ve been quieter on here… it’s just overwhelming and tough processing grief. Like walking through quicksand.

Reopening doors I’ve had to close to heal has been difficult too, and there are so many different stages and phases of grief. What used to help me was telling my story and surrounding myself with su***de prevention facts and knowledge to help others. But now I’m in a phase where it’s extremely difficult to wake up daily and remind myself about their deaths. It’s a trigger I’m working through to heal, and hopefully one day it will get easier to talk about again.

I love you all, I’m sending you support this holiday season 💜💜

We will be taking over 1N5.org’s Instagram stories for today! Follow them or follow along on Instagram to see 😄

We will be on in a few hours!

Happy , Warriors! Julianna Porter, founder of the Two Brothers Initiative, is taking over our Insta stories to talk about mental health. Check out her bio below and follow along to see what she has to say!

Julianna Porter, better known as Jules, is the voice and creator behind Two Brothers Initiative- a su***de prevention community she started after losing both of her brothers to su***de. She is 27, and struggles with anxiety, depression and PTSD, but attends therapy weekly to help her cope with it.

Her two brothers, Stephen and Michael, died by su***de 9 years apart. When Stephen took his life is November of 2012, it left Jules’ family devastated. Over the years they tried to pick up the pieces left behind and recover from it, but Michael struggled to get back on his feet. In February of 2021, Michael took his life too, leaving Jules and her mom with questions and even more heartache. Now she has set out on a mission to advocate for mental health and su***de prevention in hopes that others can be saved along the way. This initiative is her way of keeping her brothers alive, and she hopes they are proud of her for it.

***deprevention

The world is better because YOU are in it!💜

Playing around with the idea of creating a new design for 2BI shirts… maybe someday soon 😋

Have you tried writing them a letter? 📝 ✍️

I like many others, experienced a lot of anger in my grief. It was difficult to process and work through because I would bottle it up. I didn’t want to be judged for my anger, but I couldn’t help it. It’s so hard losing someone you love, especially when it happens tragically.

I heard a great piece of advice about writing a letter to the loved one you lost. Write down all of the things you wish you could have said to them. Write down the emotions you are feeling. Tell them you miss them. Say whatever comes to mind. Don’t be afraid to cry or get angry in the process just be safe, please!

This exercise can really help you get out all of the thoughts that keep spiraling in your head. It also helps you release the tension that has built up inside of you over time.
It’s okay to have complex emotions, in fact it’s human nature to feel them! But it is not natural to hold in these emotions and bury them deep inside.

If you want to consult with your therapist first, please do so. You could also aim to write this letter before your session so that you can process these difficult emotions together in your session.

Grief is not easy, but we need to express our emotions to work through them. Sending you love in your healing journey 💜

Today is International Men’s Day. As you know, I lost two brothers to su***de. Society teaches men to be tough, strong and to never cry. Why though? What is wrong with being human and feeling emotions? I think not being afraid to feel and express your emotions is one of the strongest things you can do. You should never feel like you have to bottle up your emotions to the point where it becomes life threatening. I’m sorry anyone ever made you feel like that was the only way. There are people out there that support you and want you to get the help you deserve. Please don’t be afraid to reach out 💜

You are so loved 💜💙💜

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