I do not think there is a person anymore that hasn’t been touched by suicide. Either they have a friend or family member who has attempted (with or without success); they know someone who has a friend or family member who has lost someone to it or they struggle with it themselves. In Ontario alone we have approximately 6000 deaths due to suicide annually and it is the 7th highest leading cause of death for Canadians.
These statistics make me ill. How did we, as a nation, loose so much hope that suicide now looks like a viable option when things get rough?
Life hardly ever turns out the way we think it should. That is because there are too many variables that are out of our control. But if you live long enough, you get to witness the positive outcomes to awful circumstances. What I mean by that is the horrid circumstances of today turn out to be the reason for happiness tomorrow.
I’m not denying that there are really awful things that happen. I have experienced times when I didn’t see any way out and lost hope. Now I have the privilege to be able to sit with people in their darkest times. Through those dark times, I have also had the honour of being there when the joy returns and happiness radiates out from them. These same people who have told me they want to die, now show me pictures of new loves, newborn babies and exciting new art they’ve created. All because in their darkness, suicide was not an option.
If you are reading this and wondering if you should give up hope, I’m here to tell you, it's really not an option. It's ok to be exhausted, to be too tired to fight, to be ready to give up. What you may not realize is suicide isn’t the answer to these problems. The answer is rest, finding help, and letting others fight for you. I’ve yet to find a problem that was too big for a solution and I have walked this path with hundreds of people. So if you think yours is unsolvable, contact us, we’ll work it out together.
When we feel suicidal, one thing to do is to stop for a moment and ask: what is the problem? What is making me feel trapped? Unloved? Unsafe? Exhausted? Overwhelmed? More than likely you know the issues. Your brain has probably already tried unsuccessfully to find solutions or the problem feels so big that even if you tried to think about it, you just shut down. Often we can’t find a solution on our own. Here is the big BUT… we can find solutions with other people. Reach out to a friend, your doctor, your therapist, your family whomever feels the safest to you and let them in on your problem. Together there are solutions.
Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem which is ultimately why it is not an option.
We’re here for you,
Registered Psychotherapist
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