When I think of the word HOPE, I think of the future. Of course it is hope that the present can be different.
This past week was Suicide Prevention/Awareness week. I was able to do my part by speaking at a conference on this topic. My presentation was called “Breaking the Silence by Telling your Story”. As both a professional counselor as well as a mother of a child (19 at the time) who had attempted suicide but luckily survived, I could share how important the stigma of suicide perpetuates the silence and how sharing my story by both writing a book of our experience and by a tattoo based on the Project Semicolon has been uplifting and freeing. If you are not aware of Project Semicolon it is based on the fact that a semicolon is a break in a sentence as a suicide attempt is a break in the life of someone struggling. My tattoo reads “His story isn’t over” with a semicolon next to the words.
Those suffering from depression, whether it stems from a drug history, chemical imbalance, financial struggles, relationship struggles, etc, can become so embedded with unbearable pain. The person sees no other options than to escape the pain. There does not appear to be any HOPE for the present. And the present is all they can focus on because of the pain.
While I believe that so much of depression that leads to suicide is the illusion that no one else can understand the person’s pain. Their is no hope of the pain going away. Pain is temporary as in the present. The future can change. Much of that is defendant upon what we are willing to do differently. It is not easy but then neither is the pain. But the world is ever changing, so is our circumstances even if one cannot fathom that in the midst of their present pain. Take a deep breath. Seek help. Seek hope.
May your path be filtered with HOPE!