Key to Peace

Suicidal ideation is nothing new under the sun. King David himself in all his splendor said, "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest." We all want to be at peace in our own bodies. Everyone with skin on can relate to flying high as a free bird away from troubles. The bad stuff in life does not skip anyone. The bottom line is, we either face them with courage or we live a life of hot pursuit of not. Not handling our issues, running from pain, and anesthetizing ourselves are time - tested ways to deal with problems. Popular, albeit dodging issues is ineffective and more problems are incurred from escape. They come in the form of drugs, alcohol, manipulation, delusions, excess, and impulsively.
A real answer is actually taking the band-aid off and looking at our sources of pain. Indians, indigenous people from America, North America and Mexico believed that people have soul wounds and in order to be healthy, good medicine needed to heal them. As a psychologist, I relish the truth that psychology means "healing the soul." The keys to finding peace, and real answers are looking inside. It also means looking around and getting our heads out of the sand and actually deal with the issues.
How, I hear you saying? How do we as people who have gone though pain, or actually go through painful events daily, cope? What is good medicine? I say there are many solutions and suicide is not an option.
"Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, give up," said Winston Churchill. Never stop fighting the good fight of living life because you are worth it. If it is a family member, or friend you know who is confessing to you that they are thinking about “giving up," or "throwing in the towel," or they are "overwhelmed," it is a signal that they could be suicidal. Be aware of your people, if someone has been through stress call and ask how they are doing then actually listen to their response. Many times people just need a voice to speak to their problems. They will feel relieved knowing that they are cared for.
Just as important, the signals that our loved ones are feeling suicidal can be less obvious. Isolation, to me is the biggest indicator that something is wrong. Those who hide in their rooms could be depressed, or running from stress at school, or at work. Simply asking them about the isolation, in love - could open up a conversation that starts the process of healing.
Being in a bleak place is nothing to be ashamed about. Humans get sad, we get down and we feel it would be easier to quit at times. The truth is there are answers…
Good medicine to help those we know who have suicidal ideation are: pray, ask for help, call your friends and family members, seek out professional help, step outside to breathe, stop to access your situation, acceptance, dream of a better tomorrow, find areas of passion and hope to keep your spirit alive, elevate yourself with music, and colors, flowers are healing, animals heal too, and so is chocolate. Coping skills look different for everybody, but not doing anything exacerbates the problem. If you seek, you will find answers. Knowing your value, or instilling it in the ones we love is a great place to start. As the great Fab Four philosophized, "All you need is Love."
Please call 911 if you feel suicidal with a plan and seek help now!