As a Suicide Survivor, Your World Tilts to a Different Angle

I have found that one of the hardest parts of my daughter taking her own life is that your views of the world truly change. It is like the plates of the Earth has done a huge relocation and nothing is the same anymore. Many people have said it's time to move on, get over it. Well, it's not that simple. How do you just move on when your entire world is different? The answer is simple, you don't move on. You learn to adapt to your new world.

It's a world of new views and emotions. It's a new view on what is important and what really doesn't matter at all. When I hear of someone taking their life, my heart hurts not only for them, but for the family and friends that this will hurt. When I hear of someone turning to drugs, I feel the pain that they are trying to hide behind drugs, etc.

We need to wake up and realize that suicide and overdoses are the symptoms of the disease that is killing those that we love. The disease is Mental Illness. The disease hides, makes it hard to diagnose, yet more and more are affected by this every single day. 1 in 4 are affected in one way or another and we can't rely on our government or our politicians to help those that we love. We need to confront the matter and share as much as we can.

Take a group of 4 friends. Chances are, one of them is hurting very badly, but society has taught us to hide this. Years ago, cancer was taboo to talk about. Now, people have learned that by being a voice, cancer is getting some help and many are being saved. Mental Illness is still being hid in the shadows. People don't want to talk about it. They still want to hide and live in a fairy tale world that this will never hit home for them.

We, as individuals, need to start talking about Mental Illness and encouraging others to also. Hiding this hasn't helped. The rates keep going up. How about we try, as people, to talk to each other. When someone is really hurting, we need to make sure that they know that they are not alone. Find someone to talk to, a friend, a family member, a help line, online on a forum. Somewhere. People have to realize that they are not alone and that someone is there for them.

Suicide hotline: ❤️

1-800-273-8255 or 

Text Free 24/7 a day - START - to 741-741

Keep these numbers handy and share them as often as you can. Have you ever felt like taking your own life? Have you ever felt the desire to turn to drugs to help you escape from the pain? How about sharing your own story? So many hide their pain because they feel that others won't understand. If enough of us tell our story, others will come forward, and maybe, by sharing our own stories, we can help save some lives. Together, we can make a difference.