Dear You, The One Who Feels Like Giving Up Dear You, I don’t know the exact weight you’re carrying right now, but I do know this....it’s heavy. And maybe you’re tired of pretending it’s not. Maybe you’ve been holding it together for everyone else, smiling when people ask how you’re doing, while inside you’re just… done.… Continue reading Dear You, The One Who Feels Like Giving Up
Tag: suicide prevention
Helping Kids Grieve a Suicide Loss with Compassion
Helping Kids Grieve a Suicide Loss with Compassion When a child or teen loses someone to suicide, their world changes in ways they may not fully understand. This kind of grief is complex and it is layered with confusion, sadness, anger, and questions that even adults struggle to answer. As caregivers, we can’t take away… Continue reading Helping Kids Grieve a Suicide Loss with Compassion
When Trauma Speaks Through Silence
When Trauma Speaks Through Silence Some pain is loud like tears, yelling, desperate pleas for help. Other pain is quiet like withdrawal, numbness, the smile that hides the storm. For many people, that quiet pain is the echo of trauma. And sometimes, that trauma whispers a dangerous lie: You’d be better off gone. How Trauma… Continue reading When Trauma Speaks Through Silence
From a Therapist’s Chair Let’s Talk About Suicide
From a Therapist’s Chair Let’s Talk About Suicide Over the years as a therapist, I’ve sat across from people carrying pain so heavy they wondered if life was worth continuing. I’ve also sat with those same people months or years later, watching them laugh again, love again, and live in ways they couldn’t imagine when… Continue reading From a Therapist’s Chair Let’s Talk About Suicide
Creating a Safety Plan Can Save a Life
Creating a Safety Plan Can Save a Life When a mental health crisis hits, it can feel like the ground drops out from under you. Thinking clearly becomes almost impossible, and the very steps that could help you feel safe can seem out of reach. That’s why creating a safety plan before a crisis happens… Continue reading Creating a Safety Plan Can Save a Life
What Suicide Really Looks Like
What Suicide Really Looks Like When most people picture suicide, they imagine someone looking sad, withdrawn, or talking openly about wanting to die. While those signs can be present, the truth is far more complex and often, far quieter. Suicide doesn’t always look like lying in bed all day or crying nonstop. It can look like… Continue reading What Suicide Really Looks Like
The Day the World Stopped Turning: A Tribute to LA
The Day the World Stopped Turning: A Tribute to LA June 19, 2018. That was the day the world stopped turning. I got the news that my dear friend LA was gone...taken by suicide. I remember where I was, what I was doing, and the way the air seemed to leave the room. Everything slowed… Continue reading The Day the World Stopped Turning: A Tribute to LA
What to Say (and Not Say) to Someone Who’s Suicidal
What to say (and Not Say) to Someone Who's Suicidal It’s one of the hardest conversations you’ll ever have when you begin realizing someone you love might be thinking about ending their life. You may fear saying the wrong thing, making it worse, or crossing a line. But here’s the truth: you can’t put the… Continue reading What to Say (and Not Say) to Someone Who’s Suicidal
Yes Christians Can Feel Suicidal
Yes Christians Can Feel Suicidal Too many faith circles still whisper about suicide with shame or avoid talking about it altogether. The silence is deafening for those who are struggling. And because of that silence, many believers suffer in secret. They wonder: If I love God, why do I feel this way? If I’m truly… Continue reading Yes Christians Can Feel Suicidal
Suicide Awareness – Because Every Life Still Has Worth
Suicide Awareness - Because Every Life Still Has Worth There are moments so heavy that breathing feels like work.Pain that sits on your chest like a boulder.Thoughts that whisper, "It would be easier if I weren’t here." Whether you’ve felt this pain yourself, walked beside someone who has, or lost someone to suicide—you know how… Continue reading Suicide Awareness – Because Every Life Still Has Worth
A Pause for LA – Honoring a Life, Raising Awareness
Before we continue with our journey, I need to pause. This is A Pause for LA – Honoring a Life, Raising Awareness. Because life isn’t just about what happens to us—it’s about what happens around us. It’s about who we walk alongside. And sometimes… who we lose. On June 19, 2018, my friend LA died… Continue reading A Pause for LA – Honoring a Life, Raising Awareness
Wrestling with the Darkness
Wrestling with the Darkness: You Are Not Alone Wrestling with the darkness can be exhausting, especially when you feel alone. The weight of it presses down, making it hard to breathe, hard to think, hard to believe that there is a way forward. You can be in a room full of people—people who love you,… Continue reading Wrestling with the Darkness
Don’t Quit Just Do It
Don't Quit Just Do It There are days when I am done. Done. DONE. I've had all I can stand and I simply can't take anymore. I'm good until I'm not. Over the years of struggling with depression, I can typically feel myself sliding down the mountain into the pit. I know my traumaversary dates… Continue reading Don’t Quit Just Do It
When the Silence is Deafening
When the Silence is Deafening When silence becomes deafening, emotions can shift from moment to moment. Some days, it feels like they change by the minute. Lately, the silence has been so loud that I can’t hear myself think. It’s like when my aunt can’t smell anything because the noise around her is too overwhelming—strange,… Continue reading When the Silence is Deafening
In the Still of the Night The Monster Comes to Play
The Monster in the Silence I love the time of day when I can go upstairs and just be. For the day, I am done. I am done with work, cooking, cleaning, putting out fires, phone calls, texts, and all the other things that demand my attention. My stuff, a bottle of water, and my… Continue reading In the Still of the Night The Monster Comes to Play
The Ghost from Juneteenth Past
The Ghost from Juneteenth Past Trigger warning If you or someone you know has struggled with suicidal ideations or attempts, please refrain from reading this content. Seek help! "Today, “988” is the three-digit, nationwide phone number to connect directly to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. By calling or texting 988, you’ll connect with mental… Continue reading The Ghost from Juneteenth Past
LA Came in Like a Tornado
LA Came in Like a Tornado Ten years ago, I met a brassy blond girl at a ballpark. She had a crass mouth and a nasty smoking habit. She was loud and obnoxious. A person people moved away from when they saw her. She did not dress the part, talk the part, and certainly did… Continue reading LA Came in Like a Tornado
What is Normal
A note from Brandi:This guest post discusses mental health struggles, intrusive thoughts, shame, spiraling, self-harm, and suicide-related crisis concerns. It is shared with permission for awareness, support, and suicide prevention. If you are in crisis, thinking about suicide, at risk of hurting yourself, or in immediate danger, call 911, call or text 988, or go… Continue reading What is Normal
I Should Have Known
I Should Have Known I should have known something wasn’t right When you told me you loved me for the first time And I didn’t say it back I should have known something was up. When I couldn’t stand the fact that you wrote me love letters Or when you posted love stuff… Continue reading I Should Have Known
Depression is Gray and Black
Depression is Gray and Black Depression Is a dark and twisty place It's when your inner thoughts are gray and black There is no light There is no white Just gray or black The gray is sad but bearable thoughts This is where you look back at what's wrong grieving the way you… Continue reading Depression is Gray and Black