Suicide Awareness

How Can You Spread Suicide Awareness?

The most disturbing thing that you can witness is the suicide of your loved one. Have you ever been there?

“How I didn't see this coming.”

“I should have been there for them.”

We hear these sentiments often when life has been too hard on your loved ones that they found killing themselves the only option. Have you ever thought how helpless and lonely the person would have felt at the time when they were thinking about taking their life? No one wants to die early. Ask any suicide survivor what was their last thought before the attempt, and their answer will be, “I wanted to live, but it seemed hard.”

In the era of advancement and facilities, we all have been too busy in our lives and our work that other people's problems are no more visible to us. Can you imagine how much distance has grown between our loved ones and us? People who meant a lot to us find suicide a better option than talking their hearts out.

This shows that it's high time now! When the reason of the death of 44,000 people is from suicide. We have come to a stage where there is a month to spread suicide awareness. We all are together in this. It was someone's brother today; tomorrow, it can be anyone else's or maybe...your's. We can't just sit back and count the increase in the number of suicide cases.

We all have a role to play in suicide awareness. So let's do our bit and be there to help. In this blog, we'll talk discuss three points of how you can spread suicide awareness. So, let's dive in.

Know the Signs and Reach Out

There are always warning signs of suicidal thoughts or suicide. The signs are not the same for all. It varies from person to person. Some warning signs are clearly visible like,

• The recent loss of a family member or friend, especially through suicide.

• Depression is the most common sign of suicide. It includes anger, sleeplessness, isolation, etc.

• Excessive use of alcohol and/or drugs

Whereas sometimes, the signs are not visible, but they can be felt. When a person says things like, I am a burden on my family, there is no meaning of my life; I can't control my life. Most of the time, these phrases are cry for help, which goes unnoticed.

Next time when you listen to such phrases from someone around you, talk to them. It's not easy to begin such conversations and carry on with them. Therefore, you can start light by asking, “How are you?” Listen to what they say. Sometimes all the other person wants is someone to listen to them.

When you listen to them carefully, you'll be able to look at the layers and subtexts to what they are saying. Now you can smoothly carry on the conversation and let them know that you are genuinely always there for them.

Use Social Media for the Cause

Social media has become a potent tool in the past few years. If you want your message to reach many people, then Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are the platforms to rely on. You can spread suicide awareness efficiently using these platforms. Social media can be toxic at times. You'll have to be conscious of what you say.

There is always the right way to present things on social media. When posting something related to suicide awareness, such a sensitive topic, make sure your post is informative, serious, and polite.

To make your post helpful for the audience, you can take the information from trustworthy sources like the National Alliance on Mental Illness or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

If you are not the one who is into so much research but wants to contribute to spreading awareness, posting a screenshot of suicide prevention hotline numbers does not take much time.

Your one post making fun of suicide can be triggering for some people. Such posts usually result in triggering feelings like frustration and anger.

Create a Safe Place

It's not easy to express your feeling, to present your thoughts in front of the other person. It makes the person feel vulnerable. This state of vulnerability bothers a person excessively who is suffering from mental health issues. It's not easy for them to build enough trust to share their feelings. Therefore, it is essential to create a safe place for everyone to speak out.

Make a list of people who can call you in the middle of crises. Also, make a list of places where these people would like to go for their safe place.

A safe place is created to make the person feel at ease. So, any shaming or emotional violence should not be allowed there. All the feelings, thoughts, and emotions should be respects, and no judgments should be passed.

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