September is now upon us and it marks the beginning of a lot of things. The beginning of Fall, the beginning of school and most importantly, the beginning of suicide prevention month. For some people, the pressure of stress and everyday life gets to them in ways that are unhealthy. Some of these people contemplate suicide. To try and prevent this from happening to friends and family, here are some signs of suicidal thoughts and how you can do your part to prevent them.
Talking About “Being a Burden” to Others
Let your friends and family know how much you appreciate them. This is something that many people struggle with in general. Most people don’t want to make their friends or family get involved in their issues so instead of letting those feelings out, they bottle them up inside until one day it gets to be too much. Do check-ups regularly on the people that you care about the most. Make sure they know that they can come to you with any issues, big or little.
Sleeping Too Little or Too Much
A lot of people don’t realize that sleeping whether it be too much or too little is a major sign of suicide. If you come to notice that your friends are staying up extremely late even if they have an early class the next day or if they only sleep, talk to them. Make sure that they’re feeling good and healthy and make sure you help them get back on a good sleep schedule.
Talking About Having No Purpose
College kids and high school kids especially go through phases in their life where they don’t know exactly what they want to do or how they are going to accomplish their goals that they have. I can relate to this because even though I have a declared major, I still am not really sure what I want to do with my life. Because of the pressure we feel from our families and relatives, a lot of teens and young adults feel like they aren’t living up to their full purpose in life. Please know this isn’t true. If your friends or family members feel this way, make them realize that literally no one knows what they’re doing in the real world. No one is fully prepared for what the world has to offer and that’s totally OKAY!
Increasing The Use of Alcohol or Drugs
I get it, we’re teenagers. Most if not all of us are going to use some sort of drug or drink some sort of alcohol in our lives. For some people though, there is too much. If you notice that your friends or family are going out every night of the week and drinking or using drugs, that probably isn’t the best for their health. If this type of behavior becomes a habit for them, reach out to them and make sure they’re okay. Maybe let them know that you care for them and are concerned about their well-being.
Withdrawing From Friends
This is one of the signs that is relatively easy to notice if you are very close to the person. If one of your friends or family members starts to distance themselves from their close friends and family or if they bail out on plans that you made together for no good reason, check on them. It’s as easy as sending them a text or giving them a call and just letting them know that you’re there for them and care about them a lot. It’s that simple.
This subject is something that hits home for me because I’ve known people that have committed suicide. It’s a hard thing to understand and even harder to prevent. In my life, I always make sure my friends and family know how much I love them and how much they mean to me. The picture above represents a tattoo that I am hoping to get within the near future.
The semicolon is a mark made by authors that allow them to continue their sentence… their story. They could have used a period to end the sentence, but instead they chose to use a semicolon to continue on, just like how I hope people choose to continue their life.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (800-273-8255). It’s always open, and you can speak to a trained counselor.