So.
I’m going to talk about suicide.
If this is a trigger for you feel free to move on, and
accept my apology for the trigger, the last thing I want ever is to negatively
affect a person.
As an introvert, I take things internally and they roll
around and around in my brain as I process them and it takes a long time for me
to put what I’m feeling into words. I have been distraught and in anguish
trying to comprehend my thoughts and feelings and cannot fully let them go
until I’ve put them in order in my brain and can express them adequately. This is
me getting the things that have been bouncing around in my brain out of my
brain so that I don’t go insane.
Last week, a member of our wonderful Utah cosplay family
took his life. I am grief stricken for our community; especially for those that
I care about that cared about him and are deeply affected by this loss. Unfortunately,
I did not know him but I still feel the void in our community because of it,
and I am so sorry for those that loved him that were left behind.
I have had people I care about choose to take their life,
and I myself attempted suicide when I was sixteen, so I know both sides; I know
what it is to grieve, and I know what it is to feel like I no longer deserve to
exist.
I’m going to get into how one feels when they are in that
deep, dark abyss and want to end it all. This is a paralyzing gloom. It is the
darkest of feelings. This is the blackest of black moods. When I have been in
this place, and I have felt like this several times in my life – I did not see
the light after my failure at my attempt and my life has been perfect and roses
since - so when I have been in this place, I have felt that I am worth nothing.
That the world would be a better place without me. That I should never have
existed and I most definitely should not exist now. The mental pain is
excruciating and numbing all at the same time. My brain shuts down and it is
impossible to do anything to heal myself. The self-talk is horrendous. The
worst thing is that because I truly believe that the world would be better off
without me, and that I never should have existed, the thought to reach out for help
never occurs to me. When my brain becomes this numb and dysfunctional, it is
impossible to reach out.
I’m sorry if I offend anyone by saying this, but the words “feel
free to reach out to me at any time” are worth nothing to a person who is
suffering with suicidal tendencies. They are in the deepest darkest of places
and are incapable of reaching out. There is nothing that they can do because
they are frozen in despair. They are drowning. It is important for us to pay
attention to the people we care about. It can be difficult when people cocoon
and push others away and just need to be in their cave. I am one of those
people, but sometimes when I’m in my cave it is because I am desperately
lonely, yet incapable of putting my feelings into some sort of comprehensive
communication and all it takes is a “r u o k?” text, or chicken and salad, or a
silly meme on my wall with a “saw this thought of you” comment, or a hug to
pull me out. I’m not saying this is on you, but if you want to know what you
can do, this is something you can do. Telling someone who is suffering,
drowning, and sinking to reach out any time can sound like nothing but lip
service. It is extremely difficult to ask for help when you do not feel like
you deserve to breathe, let alone have someone come to your aid.
I want those who are grieving to know that this is not your
fault. He was in the deepest and darkest of places, and the fact that you didn’t
know is NOT your fault (regardless of what I just said). Sometimes we hurt and
we can’t get out of it and no one else can help either. We feel like this is
the end and it should be the end and there’s nothing else to be done but to end
it all. We are without hope. And we leave. We do this because there is nothing
left inside of us, and no external stimulation can fix that. Suicide,
unfortunately, is not one hundred percent preventable.
If you are feeling the blackest of blues, are considering
leaving this existence, and you are reading this: Please. STAY. You are worth
the air you breathe. You are loved. Take a deep breath, hydrate, do something
that makes you breathe hard and your blood flow, look outside, GO outside,
listen to music. You deserve to exist. You are important. I’m sorry you feel
this way, I know how you feel, and if you want to talk, comment. I’m here. (if
you’re local and you need a hug, PM me your address, I’ll be right there, I
also have excellently absorbent shoulders)
These are the things that have been bouncing around in my
head since last week. It’s been difficult for me because whenever I hear of a
person taking their life, all the feelings that I had when I wanted to end it
all come flooding back to me; I know how that person felt and I feel all the
hurt all over again. I also know how hard it is on the ones that were left
behind and I hurt for them too.
I love you.
