Committing suicide is an irreversible decision and as with all irreversible decisions, it is important to not act impulsively on emotions but instead to let ones wise mind surface before proceeding forward. As Light On Anxiety’s good friend, Dr. Glaser wisely states, “I’ve seen a lot of patients who have attempted suicide, and every one of them — if they survived the attempt — they have always changed their mind and are glad that they are still alive.”
So if you are currently considering suicide as an option to escape from the pain and suffering of the human condition, we suggest that first and foremost, you get immediate support. Call the suicide hotline below, contact a friend, walk into an immediate care center or go chat with a neighbor. It doesn’t matter who you speak to. All you need to say is “I am concerned that I may hurt myself. Could you help me get support?”
The next critical step is to remove anything from your immediate environment that you could use to harm yourself (excess medication, guns or other weapons, access to your car if your suicidal ideation has anything to do with driving, etc). When you are no longer experiencing an immediate risk, we invite you to review the list below of 13 reasons why it is a bad idea to kill yourself:
- This moment will pass. Everything is temporary. There are “ok” times and even better than “ok” times still ahead even if it doesn’t feel that way right now.
- You may not realize it yet, but your existence matters more than you know. There is someone out there who is better off because you exist. You are someone’s reason to smile. Start noticing at least one time each day someone smiles at you. Start giving smiles to others. You’ll be surprised to find you feel better.
- Change and healing ispossible. You can learn how to challenge the thoughts behind the negative urges. You don’t have to suffer in the dark and you don’t have to suffer alone.
- Life has so much more in store for you. There are friends you have yet to meet, new adventures you have yet to take, new music you have yet to hear, new food you have yet to eat and new passions you have yet to discover.
- You are bigger than any of your struggles, even when it doesn’t feel that way.
- Instead of ending your journey, find a new path and create a new adventure.
- We believe in you and want you around and we know others feel the same (even if at this moment you don’t agree with this sentiment).
- Laughter
- Puppies
- Hot chocolate on a cold day
- The Beach
- Mountains
- Your turn? Think of at least 1 aspect of life that makes it worth it to push forward. What would you tell a friend or a loved one, if they were thinking about death by suicide?
We also suggest you listen to this podcast from a radio show that Dr Kissen was recently on. She spoke with a brave caller who stated she was struggling with suicidal thoughts and by the end of the show, after brain storming some easy-to-implement solutions, such as chatting with a neighbor, the caller was feeling more hopeful and confident she would be able to push forward and access life’s small joys and pleasures
If you are thinking about suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-TALK(8255) or the Suicide Crisis Line at 1-800-784-2433.
