Joey's Sunshine

Joey's Sunshine BE KIND, NO BULLYING and POSITIVE VIBES ONLY

03/11/2026

Be careful and compassionate when dealing with someone who may be suicidal. đź«‚

Let’s look at why this matters.

1. They still show up. To work. To school. To family events. And then collapse when they’re finally alone.

2. They listen to everyone else’s problems, but feel like a burden for having their own.

3. Their laughter sounds real, but it’s often a shield they’ve perfected over time.

4. They don’t always want to die—they just want the pain, the noise, the heaviness to stop.

5. They function well enough that people assume they’re fine, so no one looks closer.

6. They may give hope to others while quietly losing it themselves.

7. Their hardest moments happen in silence—late at night, in the shower, during the drive home.

8. They don’t always say “I’m suicidal.” Sometimes they say “I’m tired,” “I’m empty,” or nothing at all.

9. They apologize for existing, for needing reassurance, for taking up space.

10. They survive the day for others—but don’t know how to live it for themselves.

So when we say
check on people,
don’t make it a slogan.

Sit with them.
Ask twice.
Listen without fixing.
Stay longer than feels comfortable.

Because the people who seem “strong,” “okay,” or “used to it”
are often the ones fighting the hardest battles in silence.

And silence can be dangerous—but connection saves lives. 💛

***deprevention

🙏🩵💜
03/08/2026

🙏🩵💜

03/07/2026

🌹As someone who lives with anxiety, here are a few things I wish people understood about us ✍️🌺

1. Our mind rarely slows down, even during moments that are supposed to be restful.

2. We replay conversations, decisions, and mistakes in our head long after everyone else has moved on.

3. Sometimes we prepare for things that might never happen, just so we can feel a sense of control.

4. We may look calm on the outside, but inside our body often feels tense and constantly alert.

5. Relaxing is not always easy for us, because when things get quiet, our thoughts become louder.

6. Sometimes we ask for reassurance, and then we criticize myself for needing it.

7. There are moments we avoid situations—not because we don’t care—but because the fear and overwhelm feel too heavy.

8. We don’t always say, “We are anxious.” Sometimes it shows up as irritability, restlessness, or deep exhaustion.

9. It hurts when people say, “Just calm down,” because if it were that simple, we would.

10. Most days, we are quietly managing fear while trying our best not to let it show.

11. Small things that seem easy for others can feel overwhelming for us.

12. We often overthink our words and actions, worrying that we might have said or done the wrong thing.

13. Even when we are smiling or helping others, there are moments we are still battling anxiety inside.

So when we seem overly cautious or stressed, please don’t dismiss it as overreacting.

Listen without minimizing.
Offer reassurance without judgment.
Create a space where people feel safe.

Because anxiety isn’t attention-seeking—
it’s a nervous system asking for understanding.

And if you are someone living with anxiety like me, please remember: reaching out for support is not weakness. It is part of healing.

***deprevention

03/06/2026

You are not lazy…
You’re exhausted from fighting battles people cannot see.
From waking up every day and pushing through thoughts, stress, and emotions that feel heavier than words can explain.
From carrying pain quietly while still trying to function like everything is okay.

Sometimes what looks like “laziness” is actually emotional exhaustion.
Sometimes it’s a mind and body that have been in survival mode for far too long.

If this feels like you, please know you don’t have to carry it alone.
Talking to someone you trust, a counselor, or a mental health professional can help lighten the weight. Reaching out is not weakness — it’s a powerful step toward healing. 💙

***deprevention

đź’› You Are Not Alone đź’›Every word we say has power. Every action we take leaves a mark. Sometimes, that mark can hurt more...
03/04/2026

đź’› You Are Not Alone đź’›

Every word we say has power. Every action we take leaves a mark. Sometimes, that mark can hurt more than we realize. Bullying isn’t just “kids being kids” or “just teasing.” It leaves scars—some visible, some invisible—that can last a lifetime.

If you’ve ever felt small, laughed at, or left out, know this: your feelings are valid, and you deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. And if you’ve ever been the one teasing or judging someone, it’s never too late to change—choose empathy over cruelty.

Let’s create spaces where everyone feels safe to be themselves, where words lift others up instead of tearing them down, and where kindness becomes louder than hurt. 💛

Speak up. Stand together. Stop bullying.

03/03/2026

🌹 Please remember that the first sign that our mental health is suffering
isn’t a su***de attempt,
and it isn’t an emotional breakdown.

It begins quietly.
Soft changes that we often ignore.

It starts with waking up exhausted
—even after sleeping for hours.

It shows up in struggling to get out of bed,
losing interest in things we once enjoyed,
and feeling a heavy lack of motivation.

Sometimes it looks like not having an appetite,
or battling constant gut issues,
skin breakouts,
and a sudden drop in energy.

For others, it comes as a decreased libido,
feeling lost or stuck,
or slowly disconnecting from the world around us.

There may be brain fog that makes simple tasks feel overwhelming,
fatigue that follows you everywhere,
irritability you can’t explain,
or self-sabotaging behaviours that leave you wondering why you did what you did.

It can even appear in disturbed sleep,
sleeping too much,
sleeping too little,
or sleeping without rest.

These are the subtle warning signs.
The quiet whispers.
The little alarms we push aside because “we’re fine.”

But your body always speaks.
It warns you gently at first.
It asks for attention, rest, healing, and care.

Listen to it before it has to scream.
Your wellbeing matters long before the breakdown.
You deserve peace before the pain gets loud.



Love you! 🙏❤️
03/03/2026

Love you! 🙏❤️

02/25/2026

It was July 23, 1991, a beautiful summer day. Joey and Barret called me to see if I wanted to hang out, Barret's mom and dad were on vacation in Florida. They picked me up around 5pm, we went cruising around and then went back to Barret's to hang out. We each had a 40 and were sitting in the hot tub talking, laughing and having fun. We all just graduated and were talking about the lives we had ahead of us and what we were going to do. We got out of the hot tub and sat in the living room and continued talking and laughing. It was just about midnight.
There were 2 couches in the living room. I was sitting on one and Joey was on the other. Barret went in the kitchen to grab us some snacks. Joey spoke up and said "hey you know I love you guys, right and that I would do anything for you.". Of course we do Barret and I both said at the same time. Joey then said, "good, don't ever forget it."
Before we could respond to that, he reached under the couch, put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. I ran out of the house and Barret called 911 immediately. We began to try lifesaving measures on him until the ambulance and police arrived. The police arrived, we were questioned and finger printed. I made the call to my dad at 1am and he immediately came to the scene. Joey was pronounced dead at 2:35am.
It forever changed my life. Barret found a note in his glove box the next day. It was made out to me. I still have it. There was no explanation as to why he did it. It was all about wishing me well and thanking me for being a friend to him. We also found out after the investigation that the bullet exited Joey's head and missed hitting me by a few inches. I suffer from PTSD and have been in counseling ever since. I just starting to be okay with hearing guns go off and actually started shooting. It took 35 years for me to be able to do it.
It helps me to share his story and I will continue until I am no longer here. I am always here. If you have questions, I have no problem answering them. I am here to help! All I have are memories and a box with some of his things including the note he left me. I don't want anyone to go through this....EVER!! And I want everyone out here to know YOU MATTER!!! YOU are LOVED!!! YOU ARE NEEDED!! BE KIND!! We are all in this fight together.
Call 988 24/7
Reach out to me ANYTIME
Share your stories, it can save a life!
💜🩵💜🩵💜🩵💜🩵💜🩵💜🩵💜🩵💜🩵

02/24/2026

Be careful with people who have HIGH FUNCTIONING DEPRESSION.

Let's go through this together 👇👇

1. They get up, get dressed, go to work, and cry in silence when nobody’s watching.

2. They check on everybody else, but don’t feel safe asking for help themselves.

3. Their smile is practiced, their “I’m fine” is automatic, their breakdowns are private.

4. They appear to be okay, give solid advice, and hold everybody down, but when the world gets quiet, their thoughts get loud.

5. You think they’re okay because they’re productive, but they only stay busy to avoid feeling anything.

6. High functioning depression doesn’t look like laziness, it looks like overworking, overthinking, and never resting.

7. They keep it together in public, but fall apart in the shower, in traffic, or right before bed.

8. Just because they don’t say “I’m struggling” doesn’t mean they’re not drowning inside.

9. They apologize for being “too much” when they’ve really just been holding too much in.

10. They make everyone feel better, but go home feeling empty.

So when someone says “check on your strong friends,” Don’t just repost it. Do it. Because the ones who always say “I got it” are usually the ones who don’t. They suffer in silence. They laugh through pain. And they master how to function when they’re barely holding on.

02/22/2026

Be careful with people who are suicidal. Let me explain.

1. They still show up. To work. To school. To family events. And then collapse when they’re finally alone.

2. They listen to everyone else’s problems, but feel like a burden for having their own.

3. Their laughter sounds real, but it’s often a shield they’ve perfected over time.

4. They don’t always want to die—they just want the pain, the noise, the heaviness to stop.

5. They function well enough that people assume they’re fine, so no one looks closer.

6. They may give hope to others while quietly losing it themselves.

7. Their hardest moments happen in silence—late at night, in the shower, during the drive home.

8. They don’t always say “I’m suicidal.” Sometimes they say “I’m tired,” “I’m empty,” or nothing at all.

9. They apologize for existing, for needing reassurance, for taking up space.

10. They survive the day for others—but don’t know how to live it for themselves.

So when we say
check on people,
don’t make it a slogan.

Sit with them.
Ask twice.
Listen without fixing.
Stay longer than feels comfortable.

Because the people who seem “strong,” “okay,” or “used to it”
are often the ones fighting the hardest battles in silence.

And silence can be dangerous—but connection saves lives. 💛

***deprevention

YOU WOULD HAVE DONE ANYTHINGThe truth isyou did the best you couldwith the information you hadat that time.You did not k...
02/17/2026

YOU WOULD HAVE DONE ANYTHING
The truth is
you did the best you could
with the information you had
at that time.
You did not know
that your beloved was going to die
that way
on that day.
You did not know.
You did not know.
If you had known
you would have done anything
and everything
within your power to keep your beloved alive.
You would have done anything
and everything.
The truth is
none of us
not one of us
are powerful enough
to keep another human
in his/her body when it is their time.
We are not that powerful.
You would have done anything
to keep your beloved here.
You are not responsible for his death.
You are not the reason she died.
It is not your fault.
It is okay to release your guilt.
You can release your guilt.
Will you CHOOSE to do that?
Will you CHOOSE peace over pain?
It is okay to release your guilt.
It is not your fault.
You would have done anything.
Anything.
You are not that powerful.
And neither am I.
Do you believe this is true for you?
💛💛💛
My first book, Permission to Mourn: A New Way to Do Grief, is available at Amazon.

What do you think of this great poem by Tom Zuba (Permission to Mourn)? - jb-

We are tempted to think that all su***des are of the age or gender or description of the one we lost, but su***de is no ...
02/14/2026

We are tempted to think that all su***des are of the age or gender or description of the one we lost, but su***de is no respecter of any of the ways we divide ourselves. I just heard of a family who lost a ten year old. I can't even imagine the weight of that loss. I was surprised to read that 2241 children between 8-12 died by su***de during the 21 year period from 2001 - 2022 in the US.
We have to talk. Kids should be kids, not dealing with adult issues. Teach kindness!
Joey forever 19
Check in on your loved ones
YOU MATTER
Call 988 24/7
🩵💜🩵💜🩵

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