Whatever It Is, Just Hold On

TW: Suicide

Hey, LFT fam. I don’t mean to bring the mood down, but there’s something that has to be addressed. We’re only two months into 2022, and I’m noticing a bit of a pattern that has me a little concerned. There have been a lot of celebrity suicides and celebrities opening up about how they’ve contemplated suicide in the news lately, and it breaks my heart that so many people feel like they have no other options. I’ve been down a similar road before, as I talked about in a previous blog — trust me when I say, I understand how your inner thoughts can make it feel like the world and everyone in it would be better off without you. It’s difficult, especially when your inner thoughts seem so much louder than everything, but trust me, it will all work out if you let it.

Recognition

If it’s okay with you all, I want to do two things — first, I’d like to acknowledge those that we’ve lost to suicide in 2022:

1. Peter Robbins (1956 – 2022): Voice of Charlie Brown
2. Jeremy Giambi (1974 – 2022): Baseball player (cause of death still under investigation)
3. Cheslie Kryst (1991 – 2022): Miss USA 2019
4. Jean Ramirez (1993 – 2022): Baseball player
5. Ian Alexander Jr. (1996 – 2022): DJ, Regina King’s son
6. Shane Cunny (2004 – 2022): Sinead O’Conner’s son
7. Anyone else not in the news who lost their life to suicide

Word of Advice

The second thing I’d love to do is offer some advice, if I may. When things get rough and they’ve been rough for quite a while, it may seem like you’ll never find an end to the chaos. I can assure you that even though you may not see another way out, there is one, and you don’t have to go through this alone.

Please find someone who will listen empathetically and without judgment. Find someone who understands what you’re going through and recognizes that suicide is not the “easy way out”. Find someone who will reassure you in ways that you need most, someone who will empower you and remind you of how amazing you really are. Find someone who will just be present, ready and waiting to comfort you with open arms.

Now, I know this is easier said than done. When you’re riddled with suicidal thoughts, you often feel like no one will understand, not even your closest friends — completely understandable. I won’t pretend as if I know all the answers or that I have some magic trick that can make everything better. However, I have linked some resources at the end of this post that may be helpful, and I hope that someone reading this will find it useful in some way, be it now or in the future.

Bottom line, whatever it is that you may be going through, you can and you will get through it. Stick with it and do your absolute best to see it through. Maybe one day, you can use your voice and story to share your testimony and help other people in need.

Resources

• https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
• National Suicide Prevention Chat Support
• Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
• Stories of Hope and Recovery
• Online Therapy Finder
• Safety Plan Maker
• How to Help Someone Who is Suicidal