How to Counter Suicidal Thoughts

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), in 2007, 14.5 percent of American high school students cited that they had seriously considered suicide in the past year. Suicide is responsible for 1.3 percent of fatalities in America. The key to maintaining your livelihood is to counter thoughts of self damage or suicide when they emerge. It is extremely difficult to accomplish this feat, particularly when hopelessness overwhelms you. Still, by following these steps, you can be victorious.

Instructions

Handling Suicidal Thoughts

• 1

  Document your thoughts in a journal. Each day write down your thoughts and include everything that is important to you. This can include a hobby or a particular passion you may have. Regardless of how small it may seem, if it means something to you, write it down. When you can find something meaningful in your life, you have something to look forward to. Include your goals for the future and write down your visions regardless of how unattainable they may appear at the moment. Read your journal everyday to reinforce these aspirations.

• 2

  Do not let the depression causing your suicidal thoughts isolate you from others. While in the throes of self-pity, the last thing you may want to do is socialize. But going out with family and friends even while you are contemplating suicide is critical to your well-being. The impact of venturing outside the walls of alienation you have built around yourself, and being in the company of positive and fun-loving individuals can be infectious.

• 3

  Stay away from drugs and alcohol. According to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance the majority of suicide fatalities are the result of abrupt and uncontrollable urges. Along with triggering these urges, drugs and alcohol can disrupt the usefulness of medications you are taking for depression.

• 4

  Learn how to spot the triggers causing your suicidal thoughts. For example, you are grief-stricken over the death of your spouse; staring at her photograph causes you to plunge deeper into despair, causing suicidal thoughts. Until you are better able to handle your grief, put the photographs away, or destroy them if you must.

• 5

  Talk to someone you trust. This can range from your best friend, family, physician or even yourself. In the case of the latter, have conversations with yourself in front of a mirror. Talk to yourself about the reality of the situation. Even if you have no immediate solution, tell yourself that you will do the best you can to overcome it. This talk therapy method can help you to strengthen your inner being and combat the profound loneliness associated with suicidal thoughts.