988 launches nationally, today. Ready or not…here it comes – and from a marketing perspective (ok maybe not yet the infrastructure), it’s a game changer.
We live in a world where – we are taught the notice the signs of a heart attack: tightness or pain on our left side, down our jaw, down our arm, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, etc.
If we feel those signs/symptoms, amongst a crowd of strangers it’s perfectly “ok/normal” to reach out and ask for help: “I’m feeling like I’m having a heart attack, can you help me.” There is no shame bc heart attacks happen TO us.
We have to get to a place where suicidal thoughts – “a heart attack of the brain” becomes commonly understood as something that happens TO us as well – a situation where there is no shame in asking for help bc the build up of stress & trauma in our system (at any age) caused it. The thoughts, like a magnetic pull, take over us. The normalization of 988, just like 911, will help us get “there.”
And in getting there, we need a plan of action – a “Stop, Drop, & Roll” of first-person suicide prevention, that teaches us how to ask for that help, even when we are alone or with strangers.
That’s where L.I.F.E. Saver comes in. 4 simple steps to follow, to get to safety.
Our mission with this tool, as it has been for the last year, is to get the posters & the 8 min video that accompanies it, into every school and office or club/team in the country/around the world – to proactively save lives.
Happy to partner with @kevinhinesstory & @marghines, @hilinskishope, @thehiddenopponent, @haydenrhurst, @haydenhurstfoundation, & @morgansmessage to get this out far and wide. Why these orgs – bc they are led by families with LIVED EXPERIENCES. Only way to normalize is to talk about it…and these great orgs, and many others, do! Let’s team together to save people from this insidious issue our society faces.
You can share the slides & I’ll share a link to the video in stories.
