Tackling suicidal thoughts

Suicidal thoughts can range from passing thoughts about death such as wondering what it feels like. Passing thoughts of suicide can get worse if they are not addressed. Sometimes, we experience so much pain and numbness that we start to feel hopeless like there is no way out of how we are feeling. The feeling can be overwhelming. It may feel like you have no other option than to act on these feelings. But it’s important to know they can pass.

Talk to other people. You don’t need to act on your thoughts right now. You may have had these thoughts before, but you feel less able to cope today. You might find out you are more able to cope in few days. It could be helpful for you to talk to someone about how you are feeling. There are different people who can help. You could speak to friends and family members.

Remember to be patient. Your friends and family may want to help but might not know how to do it straight away. If this happens, you should tell them what you want from them. You may want to talk about how you are feeling or you may want them to help you get professional help. If you don’t want to talk to people you know, you could call an emotional support line accessible to you.

Be around other people and be aware of your triggers. You may find it too difficult to speak to someone at the moment. Being around people can help to keep you safe, even if they don’t know how you are feeling. Triggers are things which might make you feel worse. Triggers are different for different people. You may find that certain activities make you feel worse. Try to stay away from these. If you can understand what your triggers are, it can help you to be more in control of your feelings or stress levels.

Take care with drugs and alcohol. Alcohol affects the part of your brain that controls judgment, concentration, behaviour and emotions. If you are feeling low, drinking alcohol might bring on suicidal thoughts or make them worse. Drugs affect the way you think and feel. Different drugs have different effects.

You can do some grounding exercise that uses all your senses. If you focus on your thoughts, it might make them feel stronger and harder to cope with. So, you can try doing things that distract you like: reading a book or magazine; watch a film, draw or paint, listen to music etc.

Abidemi Faith Adekola, a Mass Communication student, wrote from Bayero University Kano