mental illness – Hard Lessons & Honest Thoughts

It’s Ok To Not Be Ok

One of the biggest issues with suicide is that people won’t talk about it. They ignore the signs. They joke, they carry on, they act like nothing is wrong.

Then, BOOM!, someone’s gone, and no one knows what to do or say. The questions come too late. The reality hits too late.

I’ve been there. I’ve ignored the signs. I’ve told myself, there isn’t anything to worry about… until there was.

I get it. People don’t know what to say or do. Life looks perfect on the outside: kids playing, ice cream trucks rolling down the street, laughter echoing everywhere.

But the truth is, there’s darkness in most of us. Real struggles. Real pain. And many people are silently fighting battles we’ll never see.

The Yellow Elephant is an organization dedicated to shedding light on mental illness and suicide.

https://www.theyellowelephant.org

“The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.”

I wear the Yellow Elephant on my right hand. It’s a reminder of a time I lost a dear friend. It’s also a reminder for myself… honestly, I’m not in a good place lately.

And yet… few around me notice. But I’m armed with QPR training, I lean on 988, and I reach out to The Yellow Elephant. Even though they’re based in Moultrie, GA, their support is real and unwavering.

When I’m at my lowest, I take a breath, glance at the tattoo, and start fighting again.

If life were a boxing match, how many rounds would there be? 10? 15? Or as many as it takes to win the fight?

So I fight. I struggle. I search for answers. And I fight again.

Here’s my reminder to everyone: we must stop the stigma. Push past the embarrassment. Push past the naivety that someone close to you couldn’t be suffering. Mental illness, emotional pain, physical pain, it’s real, and it’s often invisible.

The path to help is dark, but there is light at the end… if we as a society stop ignoring the pain around us.

https://www.crisistextline.org

https://www.nami.org

https://988lifeline.org/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=onebox

I know I’m a day late, but when it comes to talking about suicide, it’s never too late! September 10th was National Suicide Prevention Day. We must stop the stigma and open up about mental health, mental illness, and suicide,

Nearly ten years ago, my best friend died by suicide. We can go on and on about how he was the life of the party and the happiest person anyone ever knew. The truth is, no one ever paid attention to the real issues! No one saw the depression, the pain, and warning signs.

We as a society need to do better. Better at paying attention, better at asking for help, and better at asking if someone is ok.

I went through it all when he was gone. Loneliness, confusion, anger, unanswered questions, and personal blame.

What I found was help. Family help, friends help and online help. This is when I found the Yellow Elephant. The elephant in the room, don’t be afraid to talk about it, it’s there and we already should be talking about it. Yellow? “John 1:5: The light shines in the darkness but the darkness has not overcome it.” Semi-colon tusks, because your story is not over!

Through the Yellow Elephant I met some amazing people and learned a lot about suicide and suicide prevention. I got my QPR certification. Like CPR, for a medical emergency, I learned QPR, for mental emergency.

Q: Question P: Persuade R: Refer

I created a Facebook page, Acknowledged Care Tell – ACT.

This is a safe place where anyone is welcome. A place you can ask for help, a place you ask for an ear, a place you can be yourself.

After my friend was gone, I didn’t want another family, another friend to ever have to go through this kind of pain.

Never Alone! The motto I will live by. Because you are never alone. The void will never be filled and the questions will never be answered. All I wish I could change is to know then what I know now. I would have been there. I would have saw your pain. I would have asked how can I help!

Because of you, I will be a better person. I will be there for anyone in distress. If I can help, I will do my best to prevent anyone else from feeling this type of loss.

https://www.theyellowelephant.org

https://988lifeline.org

https://facebook.com/groups/959955537794363/