Don’t wait until it’s too late.
To struggle is to strive or attain something in the face of difficulty or resistance, although what leads each and every one of us to struggle is different. When someone is fighting a battle with themselves internally, they often end up losing. They can’t take it anymore, they can’t take the pressure, the pain, the anxiety, the depression, or the fear. So what do they do?
They choose pills, they choose drugs, pick up a bad habit, and anything in reach to end the battle they are seeming to lose. If someone is on the losing side of a battle inside their mind, it seems as though it will never end. They don’t want to ask for help often because they are people that feel as though they have to do everything for themselves, or that they are alone. They want other people around them, often people they would have gone to for help, to live life.
We see struggle every day, but more often than not- we don’t recognize it. We see it in our peers, roommates, best friends, coworkers, and even in our family members. More and more, we try to discount the thought that there is a meaning behind everything. Such as why a loved one is all of a sudden a recluse and never comes out of their room, or why our co-workers haven’t been as consistent, or sometimes why our kids are so easily angered. It’s because of a struggle so strong that it absolutely consumes the person. Struggles that could be eased or treated, but as a fellow family member, friend, coworker, or peer, we didn’t act on the signs. How is it though, that we as the ‘supporters’ are supposed to know what to look for when we don’t know what someone is going through? We pay attention, we make sure to show extra care, give extra hugs, and know when to back off. Why do we do this? Because of the word that rear’s its nasty head almost 3,000 times a day in the United States.
Suicide.
It is selfish, painful, and so much more. It is loss; loss of a friend or family member that thought they had no other way out than to end their own life. Slowly, but surely, as a community, we can be ready to help our friends and family by looking out for three things. The three major signs to look out for from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention website are Talk, Behavior, and Mood. First, talking about being a burden to others or feeling trapped, or saying things such as how they would be better off gone. Secondly, increased aggression, isolation, reckless use of drugs and alcohol and even actions as far as visiting or calling people to say ‘goodbye’ are behaviors to watch for. Third of all, “People who are considering suicide often display one or more of the following moods: Depression, Loss of Interest, Rage, Irritability, Humiliation, and Anxiety.”
Overall, if you come to recognize your friend or coworker becoming more withdrawn from activities, expressing more of a reckless use of alcohol, or telling you that they feel like they don’t have a reason to live, acknowledge it. Most of the time, we are too afraid to say something to someone because we don’t want them to think we are out of line. If you can notice these signs in someone, say something because you want the best for the other person, and take a minute to tell them you value them because you never know when it could make a difference. Speak up. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
