LET HOPE BLOOM

How beautiful it is to wake up and feel our senses, to realize our delusional sense of falling off a building was nothing but a nightmare. The fear that kicks in, the fear that makes us shift from partial consciousness to being wide awake is in fact, quite an example of how much we love ourselves. Then perhaps the most underrated and understated, unsung experiences is to simply wake up every day. But what about people who do not fear not waking up? Who do not fear falling off a building, in nightmares or per se, in reality. Do we call them brave and courageous or mourn the losses? Their loss of not being able to wake up and our loss of probably letting go. To think of it, according to WHO statistics, every 40 seconds a person takes their life worldwide. That means, by the time you are done reading this article, we would have already lost 3-4 people. In the most basic analysis of it, ‘sui’ means oneself and ‘cide’ means killing. Put together, it means killing oneself or a crude version is murdering oneself. A fair majority of people label those who lose their life to suicide as ‘weak’. However, I totally disagree. It takes as much strength putting an end to it as it takes to continue living. Life IS hard. More so for some than the rest. The biggest mistake we can commit is to feel on others’ behalf. What it means is it is healthy to have empathy with someone but counter-productive to pass a judgement on what is worth feeling bad about. If it hurts them, it does. And anyone telling them different is, in the most literal sense of it, not a well-wisher.

Depression is the biggest disorder worldwide. However, it is not taken as seriously or paid much attention to. Depression and other mental health illnesses are on the most basic surface of it the by products of one’s own feelings. It is but natural for anyone to own up to their illnesses and take full blame. However, through this article, I wish all readers to understand a couple of things. 1) It is NOT your fault to feel the way you do. Whatever bothers you is valid and demands attention. 2) Life has a constant- the constant of being unstable. Be it the euphoric moments or the saddest troughs of life, everything, in the end, shall pass. The euphoric moments are what make life worth living in every sense and the toughest battles demand extreme sensitivity. The foundation of suicide prevention lays extreme importance on compassion and making the sufferer feel heard. When it comes to the sufferer, it is becoming highly important for them to be sensitive towards their own feelings. In fact, keeping track of one’s own thoughts becomes crucial. Letting go of gender biases and being open to others about suicidal thoughts is a victory. Understanding that caring about yourself is the only way out to care for others can be phenomenal. At last, seeking professional help without any guilt is the most important step to changing. On the other hand, for those related to the sufferer, situation can feel hopeless and you might start feeling helpless as well. The little that can be done, can prove wonders. Sensitizing towards the person through empathy and not pity is the very first step. Coaxing people into talking and perhaps forcing them to seek professional help, making them get rid of guilt or negative thoughts is another nonstarter. Another step and probably the most difficult one for all mankind is to be a better friend. Never taking signs of self-harm or depression or suicide for granted is all it takes. We all get busy in our own lives, forgetting about the ones we leave behind. We never know if anyone from our own circle calls it a taboo and shies away from talking about how actually horrifying it is to live for them; that they think putting an end to it might be soothing. If anyone feels the need to talk to someone about the urges to self harm, below are some hotlines and websites that are available to pay heed to what deserves immediate attention:

· https://talksuicide.ca

· https://suicideprevention.ca

· https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention

· https://ontario.cmha.ca/documents/are-you-in-crisis/

· https://www.dcogt.com/408-help-line

· https://uwaterloo.ca/campus-wellness/get-mental-health-support-when-you-need-it

At this point of time, I urge everyone reading this article to pick up their phones and tell their close ones how much they are loved and cherished. I hope this article makes SOME difference for nothing binds us together as much as humanity.