Run for Suicide Prevention
Ran with Dan Robert’s friends recently, as he finished up the final miles of his 44 mile journey over 48 hours for charity. The charity that he was supporting was American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, an incredible organization that has a mission to save lives of people that feel that they no longer deserve to live.
Daniel Roberts is an incredible person. I only just met him, and his physical stamina and perseverance is unparalleled. His journey in life interacts with this cause in the most tragic way possible. But he is taking that pain and using it to uplift an entire community of people.
We all need to talk about the mental pain that goes on behind the surface. The clouded darkness that makes us feel like we can never see the clear blue sky. Because there is always blue sky behind the dark clouds. All it takes is opening up, pushing past our anxieties and struggles.
Suicidal ideation is one of the scariest and worst feelings any person can experience. Our brain and neural chemicals can induce both wonderful and distressing thoughts, and it is something that we can learn to control whether through medicine or new habits.
Meditation can help to improve the parasympathetic nervous system, increasing the ability to recognize and respond to stressful moments. Therapy, especially in person with someone you trust, can help find the words to express how we are feeling as well as discover new coping strategies. Daily mind exercises, like math exercises or brain teasers, strengthen our neural pathways to increase our abilities. Abstaining from alcohol and other mind-altering substances, especially recreationally, can help repair the brain’s natural dopamine receptor responses; though prescribed and controlled use of medicine by a licensed doctor is often the good approach if someone’s brain is impaired in some way.
Most importantly, we should be mindful that we are not alone. Just think of the billions of people that came before us and the billions of people around us, all of whom share the same emotions and struggles. Talk to others, step outside your comfort zone, and become a beacon of light for yourself and others.
Suicide is not the answer. It causes more harm and distress to others in the days afterward. As someone once told me, when someone commits suicide, their pain never goes away, it just gets transferred to everyone that cared above them. We are all human, trying to live our lives the best way we know how. It doesn't matter who we are, who we love, or what we believe in. You are not alone, you matter, and the world is better with you in it.
