1 out of 25 people reading this will be struggling in their lives and suffering from thoughts of suicide. If you are one of them, please know that this is a serious matter – your safety is very important. You have a gift that only you can offer the world. There are good people who know how to help. Please call or text:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for 24-hour service
Veterans Crisis Line: Call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1, or text 838255
Today’s blog is a frank conversation about suicide. You may want to switch to my blog on compassion if you are currently feeling vulnerable.
47,500. Care to venture what that number is? That’s the number of people in the United States that died from suicide in 2019.
That’s a lot of pain.
Just in case Covid has numbed you out to the horrifying numbers of people in pain, suffering, and losing their lives… I have another number for you.
1,400,000.
That’s the number of people who attempted suicide in 2019.
Now, let me give you another number.
3,500,000.
That’s the number of people who were in such pain that they made a serious plan to die from suicide.
Here comes the last number. Brace yourself.
12,000,000.
Twelve Million People.
That’s the number of people who seriously thought about suicide – in the United States alone.
If you find that hard to believe, don’t believe me. Check out the CDC fact sheet.
That’s a whole lot of pain – and a whole lot of reasons for all us to get more comfortable talking about it. Why? Because being alert to the signs and being able to broach the topic and connect people with resources – saves lives. Period.
Here’s something else you may not know. For a paltry sum of $39.95, you can sign up for a ninety-minute, beautifully done online course to prepare you to step up, listen, and connect. LivingWorks.net is the organization and the course is called START
If you’re at all interested, check out the link to a small intro video.
I get it. You don’t want to mess anything or anyone up. You don’t feel qualified and don’t have a goal of getting qualified to work with people on their problems. Hey, I’m a life coach and I work in IT. I’m not qualified to solve these things either.
Here’s the thing: I do know how to talk about it and where to get help from people who are qualified.
Right. But here’s the thing: the goal this training is not for you to solve other people’s problems. The goal is to get you comfortable enough with a framework for helping, that you can connect someone in need with the people who are trained to help.
I took this training myself this week. It’s worth every penny.
People who are in pain, need to be able to reach out and grab a life ring, a kind word, a scrap of hope. People in pain need someone to dial the hotline number for them and tell them that they are not alone.
$39.95
My son puts on a bullet-proof vest every day and goes out to serve & protect.
I think I can put on my big-girl pants and ask someone – are you thinking about suicide?
And that? Is just the right thing to do.