Suicide Prevention Awareness Month: Reasons to Stay
Each year, over 44,000 people die by suicide in the United States alone.
For every one person who dies by suicide, 25 people attempt.
The World Health Organization estimates that over 800,000 people die by suicide each year worldwide.
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Together, we can open up the conversation about mental health and suicide
We want to know about your Reasons to Stay. By sharing your reasons, maybe others will be inspired to find their reason to stay too.
What is your Reason to Stay?
Reason to stay is life is too precious every moment is precious, I know this because i've been through this too, its hard i know but you need to hold on because life gets better and the dreams and aspirations such as finding the one you love really does come true but you have to be alive to experience these moments.
@Kate
1. Change is guaranteed and is inevitable. Whatever difficult situation one may be in right now, is bound to change gradually, only to become better and a lot more manageable.
2. Every experience (positive or negative) teaches us a lesson. These life lessons help us all to become stronger as individuals. By continuing to fight until the end, we may also start inspiring people around us and instill rays of hope within them.
My reason to stay is that I want to help other helping other makes me happy and I love my amazing family and friends
I used to be sucidal and i think these thoughts still pass by, but i keep reminding myself that its not the answer, i wont feel relieved when i die because when i die i basically wont have feelings, so i try making the best out of my situation
@Kate
My reason to stay is my boyfriend. he's all i have at the moment.
i tried to kill myself once & it failed and i'm still here and i'm somehow thankful for that otherwise i wouldn't have met my boyfriend.
i feel like my life is slowly going to become better SOON, well, i hope so.
To anyone else that has thought about suicide, here's my advice.
don't do it until you have thought about all the good things in your life and your siblings, what would your siblings do if you died? they'd miss you everyday or even blame themselves for your loss. anything that makes you happy should be a REASON TO STAY, even if it's just the outdoors.
I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!!
My reason to stay is that I've been the one left behind when others didn't decide to stay. It hurts every day and it just didn't have to be this way. I can't imagine being the reason for others to go through the same thing. There's always a better option. No one on the planet is ever ever better off gone.
My reason to stay is that leaving means things can't get better. As long as I'm here they can get better. Even if it feels like forever, when it really doesn't feel like there's any improvement...at least I'm giving myself the chance. At least every day can be a step towards a better day (and even some steps backwards or times of standing still are better than not having the option to take any steps!)
@TaranWanderer This is really well put. Can I use your words as an inspiration to help others? Thank you!
@pathtripper aw thanks 😊 you're always welcome to share if you think it can help someone!
@TaranWanderer
Wow, excellent points, thank you so much for sharing.
I've been deeply affected by the suicide attempts too, close people and complete strangers. In both cases there's been a striking difference between caring/being affected and being able to help. Maybe I was afraid to make things worse, or it was just too late, and maybe I never got a chance to know them at all but saw someone else still in pain years later. Death has a ripple effect and I just couldn't do that to my loved ones or complete strangers. The thought may not take the pain away or solve the problems but it is a reason to give oneself that chance you mention.
@Soleena thank you, I feel the same way...even for people I have never met, my heart hurts for days after learning that they lost their battle, or seeing the pain their passing caused in others...no one means to hurt others, honestly most of the time they might think that just disappearing would save people pain the long run, but it doesn't. I wish I could make people see how important they are in the world, how even though the battle is tough and it can be very long, there is always a better day ahead, and that they deserve to give themselves the chance to see it...
I
So... not a simple question at all.
Until some time ago, I thought it was necessary for me to have some kind of "purpose" in life, like doing good at school and becoming successful. But then, I found out that my grades and my ambitions didn't define me completely, they're just a part of who I am, and that success didn't really mean anything. So, I realized that I had no purpose, and that was... liberating. All the anxiety I've been feeling about not being good enough or about being inadequate kind of disappeared since then. I can now enjoy life more, moment by moment, and I put less pressure on myself. So, I guess that what is keeping me here now is the fact that I want to enjoy this kind of internal freedom as much as possible, which doesn't mean that I get to do whatever I want, but simply that I don't feel the pressure to be in a certain way anymore.
@Kate
I used to not be able to find my reason to stay. But going through what I did helped me to find my reason to stay and that is helping people. I still struggle sometimes to not forget that I do have a purpose and that people do want me here and that people would miss me if I were gone. The people around me now, the community here is my reason to stay. It may seem like it won't get better. But when you accept the help that is being offered, or when you ask for help so people know you are hurting, it can make so much difference.
I'm here because I want my life, my story and even my pain to not go to waste. Ending my life would be like taking away the opportunity to share my struggles and help people who have gone through similar tough stuff!
@ripplesofcalm I agree with what you said. I feel I can learn lessons about who I am and what my reason for being here is by sticking around and seeing the natural end of the movie.
