"Suicide Prevention is Everyone's Business."
So I missed National Suicide Prevention Month (it was in September) but I've been thinking a lot about it and wanted to share some of my thoughts. Well first of all, let me say that I was inspired to write this post by a dear friend of mine...one of my committed readers and an intelligent young woman. Don't be surprised if I quote her later in this post!
To start off, let me just say that my thoughts are all over the place because two family members have committed suicide, and I still get extremely upset thinking about it. There are times when I'm really angry at them for not seeking helping. I blame them for making everyone else suffer. After all, they're gone now, which leaves the rest of us heartbroken. But then there are other times when I get angry at everyone else...how could they not see there was a problem? Why didn't they reach out to help them through it? It just doesn't make sense.
And I know that no matter how often I think about everything, one thing hits me: they aren't coming back. I can't go back in time and change anything-on their end or on our end. So now what?
Well, as promised earlier, here's something my friend said to me while expressing her thoughts: "I was just thinking about tragic it is that so many young people consider suicide as an escape from all the problems they have and that they could all easily be avoidable if others were willing to listen or help out." As much as I don't believe that we can avoid every single tragedy, I do think that we can better the situation.
Here's a fact that I find mind-boggling: In 2010, there were on average 105.1 suicides per day. PER DAY. Can you imagine that? That's one medium-sized lecture hall full of people gone in ONE day. Just think about that for a moment. That's 1/6 of my high school graduating class just gone in ONE day. In six days, we'd all be gone. That's a ridiculously high number! What are we doing about that? Most of us are doing nothing. Whether we're on one end as people considering suicide or we're on the other end as friends and family who could be making a difference, most of us are doing nothing. We are simply letting life play itself out because we believe that we have absolutely no control over such statistics.
Well, that's not true. We can make a difference. There are so many things we can do, from becoming heavily involved with suicide prevention hotlines or simply making a stranger smile and perhaps making that person's day. Here are some ideas that I found online and have read about in the past many years. Some are simple, and some are not. You decide what you want to do, and you pass this on to other people so that we can continue making an even bigger difference.
A lot of you are probably asking why it's our responsibility to save someone else's life when that person has family, friends, neighbors, teachers and others that should be stepping in. And you're right. But why not make a difference when you can do so unknowingly? Here's one of my absolute favorite stories that I quote ALL of the time (and have probably blogged about as well). Since you've come this far, please read this story: http://www.snopes.com/glurge/kyle.asp
I have one more reason as to why we should all care. I'm sure most of you have watched Kid President's inspiring video about getting up and making a difference. Well there's one part that really got to me. In the beginning, he says: "If life is a game, aren't we all on the same team? I mean, really, right? I'm on your team. You're on my team."[Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=l-gQLqv9f4o#!] So if we're all on the same team, why wouldn't we help each other out? Let's start now...let's continue on forever. Who knows what difference we could make!
So long. <3
So I missed National Suicide Prevention Month (it was in September) but I've been thinking a lot about it and wanted to share some of my thoughts. Well first of all, let me say that I was inspired to write this post by a dear friend of mine...one of my committed readers and an intelligent young woman. Don't be surprised if I quote her later in this post!
To start off, let me just say that my thoughts are all over the place because two family members have committed suicide, and I still get extremely upset thinking about it. There are times when I'm really angry at them for not seeking helping. I blame them for making everyone else suffer. After all, they're gone now, which leaves the rest of us heartbroken. But then there are other times when I get angry at everyone else...how could they not see there was a problem? Why didn't they reach out to help them through it? It just doesn't make sense.
And I know that no matter how often I think about everything, one thing hits me: they aren't coming back. I can't go back in time and change anything-on their end or on our end. So now what?
Well, as promised earlier, here's something my friend said to me while expressing her thoughts: "I was just thinking about tragic it is that so many young people consider suicide as an escape from all the problems they have and that they could all easily be avoidable if others were willing to listen or help out." As much as I don't believe that we can avoid every single tragedy, I do think that we can better the situation.
Here's a fact that I find mind-boggling: In 2010, there were on average 105.1 suicides per day. PER DAY. Can you imagine that? That's one medium-sized lecture hall full of people gone in ONE day. Just think about that for a moment. That's 1/6 of my high school graduating class just gone in ONE day. In six days, we'd all be gone. That's a ridiculously high number! What are we doing about that? Most of us are doing nothing. Whether we're on one end as people considering suicide or we're on the other end as friends and family who could be making a difference, most of us are doing nothing. We are simply letting life play itself out because we believe that we have absolutely no control over such statistics.
Well, that's not true. We can make a difference. There are so many things we can do, from becoming heavily involved with suicide prevention hotlines or simply making a stranger smile and perhaps making that person's day. Here are some ideas that I found online and have read about in the past many years. Some are simple, and some are not. You decide what you want to do, and you pass this on to other people so that we can continue making an even bigger difference.
- Smile at everyone you see no matter how you're feeling.
- Hold a door open for someone.
- Pay for someone's bill at a restaurant and leave a note saying "pay it forward". Who knows who else will continue it.
- Thank someone for doing their job (doctor, police officer, etc.).
- Volunteer (anywhere). Need some ideas? http://www.volunteermatch.org
- Hug people.
- Tell people you love that you love them.
- Communicate with people.
- Keep in touch with those that matter.
Anything more serious -
- Listen to people. If you really think someone is suicidal, use resources such as http://www.helpguide.org/mental/suicide_prevention.htm
- Give people a second chance.
- Talk to someone if you are feeling depressed.
- Don't be afraid to ask for help.
- Don't worry about others judging you.
- Call a suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255.
- Work for a suicide prevention hotline.
- Urge people to seek professional help.
Overall, there are so many things you can do. Ask others and use the internet as a resource, but don't just sit around and do nothing.
A lot of you are probably asking why it's our responsibility to save someone else's life when that person has family, friends, neighbors, teachers and others that should be stepping in. And you're right. But why not make a difference when you can do so unknowingly? Here's one of my absolute favorite stories that I quote ALL of the time (and have probably blogged about as well). Since you've come this far, please read this story: http://www.snopes.com/glurge/kyle.asp
I have one more reason as to why we should all care. I'm sure most of you have watched Kid President's inspiring video about getting up and making a difference. Well there's one part that really got to me. In the beginning, he says: "If life is a game, aren't we all on the same team? I mean, really, right? I'm on your team. You're on my team."[Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=l-gQLqv9f4o#!] So if we're all on the same team, why wouldn't we help each other out? Let's start now...let's continue on forever. Who knows what difference we could make!
So long. <3
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