WHY YOU SHOULD NOT COMMIT SUICIDE IF YOU SUFFER FROM A MENTAL ILLNESS

Your life matters!

Please, put down that gun.

Please, don’t swallow those pills.

Please do not cut yourself.

You are a great person. An inspiration to us all. We need you to stay alive and fight through whatever it is that you are going through. You may not believe it, but it is, in fact, true. Your life has significant value to those that are around you. You may feel like you are alone, and you may feel like nobody cares. However, that is furthest from the truth. The reality is that those that love and care about you will be there for you.

I suffer from a mental illness. I have battled depression for over a decade. My mental health state was horrible, and I tried to kill myself around 2012. In December 2019, I had a minor setback and was able to overcome those evil thoughts of committing suicide.

I am no expert in mental health, but I am an expert in fighting to stay alive. I am an expert in knowing what my untimely death would do to my parents or my children. I know everybody’s life or circumstances are different than mine. However, I know that your life matters, and you will be truly missed.

The American Psychological Association (APA) stated that suicide ranks as the second leading cause of death for 10-to 34-year olds and the fourth leading cause of death for people ages 35 to 54. Suicide ranks 10th in the leading cause of death.

If you suffer from mental illness or know somebody that struggles with depression, anxiety, etc., then these statistics should make you sick to your stomach. How do we convince those that want to kill themselves, not to die? How do we ensure them that their life matters? How do we not make them another statistic?

If you are reading this and thinking about ending your life. I love you and your support circle really loves you. It would be best if you didn’t do it. I faced the barrel of a shotgun, and it is a scary sight. I realized that in seconds, my family’s life would no longer be the same. My children’s life would forever be ruined because they would have to live with the fact that their father took his own life. Would they blame themselves? Would they spiral down the road of depression and sadness? Would the pressure of their life get to them so much that they would want to follow in my footsteps?

I didn’t want to know the answers to those questions, so I decided to fight back. Will you fight too? I want you to think about your loved ones, your friends, even your pets. How would they feel if you decided to commit suicide? How would your actions change their life?

I am sure there are some that maybe they don’t have anyone close to them, loved ones, or no children. I say there is somebody in the world that loves you and would be significantly affected if you killed yourself. At some point in your life, you have touched somebody’s heart, mind, and soul. If they found out what you did, it would destroy them. Please believe that because it is true.

You are a fantastic person!

Unfortunately, there may be instances where your friends and family have abandoned you. Perhaps those family members or close friends are tired of hearing your sad story. They no longer want to be a part of your pity party and they run away when they see you coming. A lot of people cannot deal with somebody struggling with a mental illness. Therefore, those individuals may remove themselves from your life. That is fine as there are plenty of people that will be in your corner. Those that don’t suffer from mental health issues can never understand our struggle. I encourage you to surround yourself with individuals that can fully relate and will open their hearts to you.

Believe me when I say that all hope is not lost. There are tons of online support groups where individuals will listen to your story over and over again. I can assure you that somebody will always be there to listen to you. You are not alone in this battle with depression or suicidal thoughts. Social media runs this society, and if you are feeling down, use those tools to your advantage. Putting in the correct hashtag such as #suicideprevention or #mentalhealth will give you thousands of resources that can be used to help you. Besides, you will be able to communicate with people that can relate to your story.

You are never alone!

Your life is so precious and has so much value. I know it may not seem like it, and I am sure you are tired of hearing the same old clichés about why you shouldn’t kill yourself. Those clichés are true. Please do not allow those demons or dark thoughts to tell you anything different.

Do not believe the lies!

I want you to know that you will be okay. If you are having a hard time, please don’t do it alone. Call somebody close to you and explain to them that you are having a bad day. If you cannot call someone, many Facebook mental health groups are there to support you. Also, there are mental health forums where you can express yourself and allow those members to assist you.

You do not have to fight this mental illness alone.

You are strong!

You are loved!

Your life matters!

Carlin Hertz is waging the war on mental illness as he is a suicide survivor. He is on a mission to educate the world about this growing trend. Follow him on twitter @HumbleBeast and Instagram @HeBrandMeMarketing.