Are you finding yourself thinking about suicide?

Your thoughts might involve wishing you were dead or you may have thought about how you would kill yourself.

Having these thoughts can be a response to feeling as if your life is out of your control; that it will never get better.

You might also think that your family and friends would be better off without you.

Although you might feel painfully alone right now, it is important for you to know that other people have felt like ending their lives too.

Other people thinking about suicide will have had similar thoughts to your own.

Above all, it is important to remember that suicidal feelings dissipate; and experiencing these thoughts does not mean you need to act on them.

When you experience these thoughts and feelings, there are activities you can do to help yourself.

The following is a list of things that other people have found helpful when feeling overwhelmed to the point of wanting to harm or kill themselves.

You might find it useful to experiment with some of these ideas and keep a list of the ones you’ve found helpful so you can refer back to them when you need to.

Think about another time where you might have faced a similarly stressful time in your life and what you did to cope. Can you do the same things now?

Think or write about the last time you felt a little better than you do now.

Stay focused on the present, as worrying about whether things will ever improve often just leads to feeling more overwhelmed.

You can do this by breaking up your day and planning a short activity that will distract you, and then plan your next activity once you’ve finished that one.

Some examples of activities other people find helpful:

• Listening to music that can improve your mood

• Sitting outside or going for a short walk

• Spend time with your loved ones

• Watching a favourite show

• Drawing/sketching/painting

• Writing

• Reconnect with areas of your life that give you

a sense of meaning e.g. spirituality, social service,

your vocation

• Taking some time out to treat yourself to a small

thing you ordinarily enjoy and savour it.