Trigger Warning: This contains information that may be triggering to readers with similar experiences.
Have you ever thought about how your life isn’t worth living? Are you in a stressful situation and imagine you didn’t feel anything at all?
It’s difficult to talk about one’s suicidal thoughts with family, friends, and even health professionals. It’s hard to imagine the suffering one might have gone through to opt for suicide as the only way out. But, it’s easy to tell someone to get help. What does that mean?
If you or someone you know is battling with suicidal thoughts, know that there are ways to manage them.
As we bid goodbye to Suicide Prevention Month this September, take note of these, so we can help our friends or family in difficult times.
Distract yourself
Self-soothing helps us to get through the moment by distracting ourselves to reduce the pain. In self-soothing, we use all our five senses, sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch to help us ground our thoughts.
Distract yourself to forget about your negative thoughts. practice self-soothing.
Challenge yourself
Challenging our suicidal thoughts is another way to manage. Rather than thinking negatively such as being a burden, we can focus on trying to believe these thoughts will not last and will work out.
Take care of yourself
Engaging in healthy behaviors such as regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, and avoiding drugs and alcohol can make a big difference to rationalize and control one’s thoughts.
Take care of yourself and regularly exercise, eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep, and avoid drugs and alcohol.
Create a safety plan
Developing a detailed step-by-step plan can help sort out problems that contribute to suicidal thoughts.
Connect with others
If you frequently have suicidal thoughts that are hard to ignore, talking to someone can be helpful. You can tell a friend or a family member or join peer support groups.
We might see someone braving a smile on their face who could be battling suicidal thoughts behind closed doors. Thoughts are not necessarily how things are despite how accurate it feels. Even though we’re in what seems to be a hopeless situation, there are ways to get through it.
These are just some tips to help in times of trouble, it’s always best to seek a professional for support and treatment options. /rcg