Surviving a suicide attempt

September is suicide prevention month and Monday the 10th of September is suicide prevention day. I thought that before the day I would write a post but I’m also going to upload another post on Monday as well. Today I wanted to write a post about surviving a suicide attempt. 

Suicide on a whole is a very taboo subject, and I wish it wasn’t. It’s something some people struggle with. I am putting a TRIGGER WARNING on this post. So please if you think you might be triggered there are many other posts on my blog you can read. 

In no way am I writing this post or any other posts on mental health for attention. I only want to help people feel less alone and maybe some of the things I say can help you understand things a bit better for someone who may be going through something similar. 

So, here goes... 

You find yourself breathing, speaking and functioning when you wanted the complete opposite. You wanted to be gone. You wanted peace. You wanted it to stop. You couldn’t imagine being alive. You didn’t plan on being alive. BUT you are. 

Suicide attempts are hard for everyone in your life to come to terms with but it’s also incredibly hard for you. Your loved ones might find it hard to come to terms with the fact you feel / felt so awful that you would even consider or try to attempt suicide. They might feel helpless knowing that you feel so awful and they can’t really help you. They might feel guilty that they weren’t around to help you when you felt the lowest of lows. But most importantly they will be thankful you’re still around because they care so much about you and couldn’t see a life without you. You can’t be replaced. 

It’s hard to get back on your own two feet after a suicide attempt. You have to recover both physically and emotionally. It’s tough. You can feel all sorts of emotions after an attempt. The guilt, shame, disappointment and failure are just some emotions you can feel. But more so, you can feel confused... it’s hard to process what’s happened and the emotions. 

You can feel everything you already felt, the pain you wanted to escape from and much much more that can make everything even more overwhelming. It can be even harder to stay safe and to manage how you feel after an attempt. 

However, these feelings can all be worked on. Though, it takes time and patience but also you need acknowledge the feelings and emotions to work through them. It is possible to feel better but it can take a while. But, if you make sure you do things you love it can be easier. If you surround yourself with people who care about you and make you feel happy it’s the main thing. People can help you when you feel low and be the support you so desperately need in the time after an attempt.

If you or a loved one is struggling you can contact: 

Samaritans- 116 123

                    - jo@samaritans.org

In an emergency- 999 

Becca