Recently I have seen posts on Facebook and Instagram like this one –

This has made me think about how much help such a sentiment would have. To help explain my thinking I am going to share my own story.

“When my 30th birthday approached I started to feel really down, actually I didn’t really know how I felt although I did act angry towards everyone. Over a few months things just seemed to get worse. I could see I was adversely effecting my husband and children and I started to feel like a burden. I got so bad I made a plan to end my life, said goodbye to my kids and went to sleep with a sense of peace.

I was lucky, something inside me sensed the urgency to fight for my life and I sought help from an amazing Counsellor who helped me gain deep personal insight and make changes to my life. However, had someone told me I would pass my pain to someone else I know it wouldn’t have stopped my plans, I felt my pain was already causing pain to those I loved.”

So what should we say to those we love and suspect may be having suicidal thoughts?

I needed someone to hear me, someone to tell me it would get better, someone to tell me to fight. What do you think?