Excerpts
Chapter 2: My Story/Your Story
I remember it like it was yesterday. A depression so crushing that some days my activities consisted of going to work and then coming home to stare at a wall. My body was numb. By this time, my mind had developed a visual picture of my emotional state. I imagine this was the only way that my brain could communicate my feelings to my consciousness.
I was standing at the top of a cliff. Looking over the edge, I would see only a steep drop comparable to looking toward the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Over the course of several years, I would near the cliff’s edge and then pull back. Eventually, I lost my footing and slipped.
Chapter 5: Methods Distancing
The first step in surviving active suicidal thoughts is to make it as difficult as possible for you to harm yourself in your own home. The home should be a safe-haven, not a tempting death trap. Methods distancing, like a survival kit poncho, is designed to protect you from the environment. Because sudden emotional pain can bring overwhelming life-threatening thoughts, it is critical to distance your self from any potential means of self-harm.
If you are reading this book, you most likely have a suicide plan in place. I want you to be honest about your selected methods by listing them below. Next, indicate which items are accessible in your home by placing a Y for yes or a N for no in the provided space.
Chapter 8: Staying Engaged in Life
Staying Engaged in Life is your strategic plan for daily existence as a suicidal ideation sufferer. The plan that you develop will have three purposes. The first purpose is to provide you with the means necessary to stay involved in life while experiencing active suicidal thoughts. The second purpose is to help restore the balance between your emotional pain and coping abilities. The third purpose is to improve your outlook on the future.
Chapter 11: Relational Support Systems
Analysis of suicide data demonstrates that there is a correlation between the quality of the relationships in our lives versus the likelihood of becoming a suicide statistic. Building a sustainable support system of meaningful relationships in your life is one of the keys to eliminating overwhelming feelings of hopelessness and isolation.
