This month – Suicide Prevention Awareness Month – is titled after something that most ppl in our world have shied away from discussing for so long.
It’s 2023 & I didn’t know what to expect this September when individuals & orgs stared sharing. Feared we would only see campaigns & posts & events w all the cliché lines: “It’s Ok to not be Ok”…”I’d rather hear your story than attend your funeral”…”Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” I have so many issues w these campaigns & taglines as some of them imply “decision/intent”…some further shame…but perhaps most importantly, most of them are just surface level. They become white noise. Using another cliché there is no “meat on the bone,” that actually helps ppl in a tangible way.
But I gotta say, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the depths of the messages I’ve seen. I mentioned in stories I attended an event put on by The American Association of Suicideology where they honored Kendall Toole from Peleton. She got on stage & openly talked abt her attempt. A beautiful woman, top of the world in fitness, giving the details of how “it” happened to her too.
Then I saw the piece on NFL Network w Hayden Hurst & Darren Waller, & Hayden talked so openly abt his attempt. Similarly, NFL QBs past & present ran a video w personal msgs that they are “in the huddle” w everyone struggling. Raw msgs looking directly into the camera filmed w their phones.
Online I’ve seen genuine messages. Ppl who aren’t “influencers,” w modest followings, taking posts from orgs (ours & others), sharing, & saying things like: “I’ve had the thoughts too.” Or “I’ve attempted too.” The follow-up msg is then consistent: We don’t want to lose anyone else. We are here for you. Reach out to me any time.
Im feeling a collective shift towards community arnd suicidal thoughts, where there are more & more saying – I get it. I’m here for you. You can reach out to me, even if we have never spoken before, bc I want you here.
I tried to capture those sentiments in these slides. A good shift is starting to take shape. Let’s keep it up & save more & more lives.