Saturday 10th September 2022
“Creating hope Through Action”
An estimated 703,000 people a year take their life around the world. For every suicide, there are likely 20 other people making a suicide attempt and many more have serious thoughts of suicide. Millions of people suffer intense grief or are otherwise profoundly impacted by suicidal behaviours. Each suicidal death is a public health concern with a profound impact on those around them. By raising awareness, reducing the stigma around suicide, and encouraging well-informed action, we can reduce instances of suicide around the world.
“Creating hope through action” is the triennial theme for the World Suicide Prevention Day from 2021 – 2023. This theme is a reminder that there is an alternative to suicide and aims to inspire confidence and light in all of us.
We can all play a role in supporting those experiencing a suicidal crisis or those bereaved by suicide whether as a member of society, as a child, as a parent, as a friend, as a colleague or as a person with lived experience. We can all encourage understanding about the issue, reach in to people who are struggling, and share our experiences. We can all create hope through action and be the light.
Different people have different experiences of suicidal feelings. You might feel unable to cope with the difficult feelings you are experiencing. You may feel less like you want to die and more like you cannot go on living the life you have.
These feelings may build over time or might change from moment to moment. And it’s common to not understand why you feel this way.
How you might think or feel
- hopeless, like there is no point in living
- tearful and overwhelmed by negative thoughts
- unbearable pain that you can’t imagine ending
- useless, not wanted or not needed by others
- desperate, as if you have no other choice
- like everyone would be better off without you
- cut off from your body or physically numb
- fascinated by death.
What you may experience
- poor sleep, including waking up earlier than you want to
- a change in appetite, weight gain or loss
- no desire to take care of yourself, for example neglecting your physical appearance
- wanting to avoid others
- making a will or giving away possessions
- struggling to communicate
- self-loathing and low self-esteem
- urges to self-harm.
If you’re feeling so down that you can’t see a way out, you are not alone. Lots of people have felt like this and – with help – managed to get through it. However bad you are feeling right now, there is a lot of help out there for you.
Research shows that young people who take their own life are more likely to have a history of self-harm, but self-harm is not necessarily a sign of suicidal feelings.
Suicidal feelings can get in the way of everything else – so much that you might find it hard to believe that you can feel better. But you can get better, however tough things feel right now. Whatever the reasons may be that you feel suicidal, they are valid and you deserve help.
The Wolfpack Project are a Nottingham based youth charity, who help people aged 16-34 with feelings of poor mental health, loneliness and isolation. We run a range of different groups for people to meet others, improve their self esteem and work on confidence and resiliance. We also do one to one sessions with our Support Manager, Rachel.
We want to help, if you are experiencing any of these feelings, please get in touch today, either by social media or fill out our contact form. Alternatively you can email hello@thewolfpackproject.org.uk.
