I spent the last hour writing a blog post about Robin Williams’ suicide, complete with numbers on mental illness prevalence and an attempt at representing many viewpoints and voices. But that post is gone. In its place, here are some posts that I have read today and appreciated, for their honesty and truth. Before you go any further though, there are some things I want you to know.
-It is okay to not be okay.
-There is no shame in asking for help, and it is okay to not know what that looks like.
-Those who care about you would much rather sit with you and listen and love you the way you are now (and maybe sacrifice time or plans in the moment by doing so), than to live without you.
-There is no magic fix; wellness is a process, but it is one worth fighting through, and there are many options available for that.
If you need help, please talk to someone you trust. If you need someone else, please please consider these resources.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Online Crisis Chat: http://www.crisischat.org/
Crisis Text Line: http://www.crisistextline.org/textline/
The following posts could be triggering to you. Please please please do not read them if you are not in a safe place. Navigate away from here, get off the Internet, tell someone how you feel.
Jamie Tworkowski-“There is still some time”
Nish Weiseth-“Thoughts on depression, suicide, and being a Christian”
Megan Tietz-“The dark night is no measure of your soul”