Everyone feels down from time to time. However, thinking about suicide is a serious sign that what you’re experiencing is more than a temporary down period. This is a situation that requires immediate action and help. While you may have had suicidal thoughts or feelings in the past, but not currently, it is still important to acknowledge them. Listed below are some things to help you face any future crises you may experience.
Sign a Contract
One thing you should do if you’ve ever had thoughts of harming yourself is to commit to a contract. To do this, you can find a “Contract for Life Partner”. These contracts require you to make a commitment to your partner, promising that if you have serious thoughts of self harm/killing yourself that you will talk to them about it. Talking with your partner or someone else will hopefully help you through these terrifying thoughts and feelings. On that note, you should still seek professional help.
There are ways of reaching others if you can’t reach your partner. One way is by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). And don’t forget, you can always call 911 if you’re thinking of harming yourself; there will always be someone there to talk to you.
Seek Out a Support Group or Therapist
As mentioned, professional or more structured help is an important option. This could include finding a support group, licensed psychologist, or psychiatrist. Support groups involve people who have had various experiences and are at different places in their recoveries. Hearing their stories, how they found their way through their crises, and what they experienced along the way could be very valuable in your own recovery.
Speaking to a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist is an invaluable way to assist you through a crisis. They can provide ideas to help you through your negative thoughts and feelings. They can also evaluate you to determine if mental illness is the underlying cause for your negative thoughts, or at least a contributing factor. Psychiatrists can prescribe medications that may help you maintain a more positive daily outlook, and provide symptomatic relief for coping during acute crises.
Listen to Others’ Stories
Listening at a support group or reading personal stories of survival may help to learn from others with similar thoughts and feelings. You can learn different survival methods and what issues you may face while you’re healing. Likewise, you can hear from survivors who have walked a similar path and learn why they decided to keep on living. This can hopefully shift your mindset regarding your outlook and the personal crisis you’re facing. LiveThroughThis.org has an incredible collection of stories written by survivors of attempted suicide. If you’re not yet prepared to attend a support meeting, reading survival stories can be powerful for boosting your spirit.
There are also many sources offering information about addiction if this is something that may be contributing to your negative thoughts. There is quite a lot of information out there about alcohol addiction and drug addiction. These resources can help you understand the connection between addiction and suicide, as well as how dangerous drugs and alcohol are on their own.
Immediate Help
If you are having a crisis at this moment, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or 911 immediately. There are also numerous lifelines for every city, state, and country that you can reach out to. Just know there is always someone out there who cares.
Steve Johnson has always been dedicated to promoting health and wellness in all aspects of life. Studying in the medical field has shown him how important it is for reputable health-related facts, figures, tips, and other guidance to be readily available to the public. He created PublicHealthLibrary.org with a fellow student to act as a resource for people’s overall health inquiries and as an accurate and extensive source of health information. When he isn’t hard at work in his studies, Steve enjoys playing tennis and listening to his vintage record collection.
