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If you feel suicidal, please take a few
minutes to read this. We will not try to talk you out of your bad feelings.
We are not psychologists nor psychiatrists nor are we particularly religious -
we are just people who know something about suffering ... and about alleviating
suffering.
If you are considering ending your life - we ask you for five minutes. During
this five minutes, you can read a few simple, practical ideas. We
won’t argue with you about your thoughts and feelings. We assume that if you
are considering suicide, you feel in a very unpleasant state.
Depression usually means
that
life does not make sense!
Being depressed does not mean that you are evil, crazy
or weak. Perhaps your life just doesn't seem to make much sense.
Life includes many kinds of suffering. Whether your suffering becomes
unbearable depends on your resources. Suicidal feelings may result when
your suffering seems to exceed your resources. Suicidal thoughts often follow a
crisis that exposes a lack of life purpose or
meaning of life.
You can survive a suicidal crisis
-
if you can make your life make sense!
We wish to share a few thoughts with you.
1. You can get through this - even
if you feel as badly as you probably feel.
2. You can give yourself space. You can
say, “I will wait a day, or a week, before I do anything”. Feelings are
not actions - just because you feel like killing yourself, doesn’t mean that
you have to. Put some distance between your feelings and your actions.
3. You can find relief from
suffering. Remember that you have to be alive to feel that relief.
4. You can understand that people may react badly to
your suicidal feelings. Maybe they feel guilty, angry, frightened or
sad. They are reacting to their emotions, not to you.
5.Suicidal thoughts and feelings are exhausting.
After they subside, you can care for yourself. Therapy is often a
really good idea, as are self-help groups in your community
and on the Internet.
6. You can find people who can walk
with you through this horrible time. People who will not judge you, or argue
with you, or send you to a hospital. They will simply help you make life
make sense. Find one. Now. Use your space. Tell someone what’s going on.
It is OK to ask for help.
7. You can talk about how you got to
where you are, release a lot of pressure, and regain your balance.
- USA - call The Samaritans: Call
1-800-SUICIDE
- USA teenagers - call Covenant House: Call 1-800-999-9999
- Look in your telephone directory for a crisis number
- Call a doctor or a therapist
- Call a friend or a minister, a priest, an imam or a rabbi - someone who
can listen!
- Calling the police (911 in America; 999 in UK) is way better than nothing!
A wonderful resource is a human being to talk with -
someone who wants to listen to you. Talk about how you feel and how you got
here. Many people want to hear from you. It’s time to look for them.
Can you talk to people who feels as bad or even worse than
you do? Strangely, this can sometimes provide enormous help to both of you.
A resource that has helped many people is a poem called
the Desiderata. It provides simple steps for living life true to yourself. It is
called the Desiderata.
To increase your sense of life, focus on your children,
and seek purpose in hobbies, projects or community involvement. Perhaps explore a
religion or spiritual path. We help people access and
experience integrity - an "integrated connectedness" (the
Soul of Soulwork) which
provides a profound and lasting sense of life direction and life purpose.
Please consult your physician about any opinions
or recommendations about suicidal thoughts, medical symptoms or medical conditions.
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