World Suicide Prevention Day 2015

There are many factors that can contribute to someone feeling the need to end their life - depression, anxiety, a break up or divorce, loneliness, financial struggles, a death of a loved one. No case is 100% identical and you can never really know what is going on in someone else's mind.

Although there are many reasons why people choose this permanent ending, there is one common factor between all cases of survivors. Someone cared. This may not be the only solution to the worldwide suicide epidemic, but it is A solution. And probably one of the most effective that I have seen in my time in the hospital. Yes, there were patients who got no visitors their whole stay - no friends and no family. My heart went out to these kids. How alone they must have felt. But I watched how the nurses and workers treated these people. They made it THEIR job to be the person who cared. It may not seem like much to someone who hasn't experienced this, but I saw these workers get to know the patients on a personal level. Not because it was their job, but because they could see beyond what the kids could see. They weren't interested in talking about therapy or meds 24/7, they asked about what they liked to do and what they want to be when they grow up. What they wanted to name their children and what their favorite colors were. And I could see the genuine interest that these workers had for all of us.

The positive impact that a simple kind gesture can have is vast. Maybe simple acts of kindness get overlooked a lot, but I promise they mean the world to someone who is on the brink of self destruction. I have always been one to befriend someone who looks lonely or sit with someone at lunch who looks like they are having a bad day. But I take a lot more notice now that I have been to the bottom. Be a good friend. Actually, be a GREAT friend. If you notice someone not acting like usual, be there for them. And be SINCERE. Be a person that people can be comfortable confiding in. IT'S SO IMPORTANT. Don't exclude anyone - whether at school, church, or work. Be willing to cross an ocean for your friends and seek for ways you can serve others. It costs exactly $0.00 to be a nice person, but it's worth is priceless.

And always remember to not be too quick to judge. You never know what is going on in another person's world. Maybe the kid that bullied you in middle school had some major problems at home and that was his way of dealing with them. Maybe the lady who cut you off has a lot on her mind today. Maybe the friend who bailed on you for lunch for the 3rd time in a row is too embarrassed to tell you that they can't afford that Subway sandwich. Maybe the homeless person on the corner has some severe mental health issues and no family to help them out. Have compassion for others. We were never meant to do life alone, that's why God put us into families and gave us friends.