Suicide Awareness Month

Every September is Suicide Awareness Month.  Now what does this mean to us? The purpose is to spread awareness, increase dialogue, and share coping skills for managing suicidal thoughts.  Did you know that each year in the US, there are 44,000 people who pass away from suicide? That statistic may be surprising to people.  Often, thoughts of self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts are a taboo.  Talking openly about suicide makes people uncomfortable and they avoid the topic.  We are working hard to change that stigma. Suicide Awareness Month aims to create more conversation about suicide and "normalize” talking about it, so people who are struggling with these struggles feel more accepted and not be ashamed to talk about it, seek help.  Mental health is an illness, similar to physical illnesses. People don’t discourage treatment or conversation about physical illnesses.  The same should be true for those struggling with mental health.

While there is no “quick fix” or “cure” for someone struggling with suicidal thoughts, there are tools that can help and create a feeling of safety.  An amazing safety tool to use in the moment  is the “Stay Present Pack,” which was introduced by our very own Steve! This tool includes sensory-based grounding, utilizing different scents, flavors, and textures to calm your nervous system, or stop your “brain spiraling.” It is difficult to feel safe when you are having negative thoughts, which can be really hard to pull yourself out of.  It also contains prompts to help you build your own safety plan, giving you the power to identify your own risks, triggers, and safety and support system. It also includes practicing “bottom up” calming, through music, movement and breathing to help bring you back when feeling distressed.  The reason the “Stay Present Pack” can be so effective is it is an immediate access to tools and coping skills you can pull out in the moment, when your mind may not be thinking clearly. Suicidal thoughts suck the greatness out of us, and makes us doubt our value, importance and how much we mean to this world and the people in our lives, this pack is designed to help bring us out of that!

The Stay Present Pack includes:

• A small burlap bag that fits in a pocket, backpack, glovebox, etc.

  • This bag acts as your carrying case that can be easily kept with you, and acts as your safety plan, as opposed to the paper safety plan that often gets lost in the mix of all our papers at home

  • The burlap bag is also a sensory tool, the rough, grooved fabric can be touched and rubbed to distract our minds, and focus on texture

• A stone or marble

  • You get to pick your own stone or marble to put in your bag.  When we are in our “tunnel vision” of negative thoughts, and you are feeling the whispers in you mind, telling us “I am not needed” or “no one would care if I was not here” it is hard to get out of that. 

  • When you feel these negative thoughts, you take your marble in your hands, feel the cold of it, the different edges and shapes, how it turns warm in your hand, and refocuses your mind.

• A mint — can be swapped for something with a strong, pleasant aroma

  • It is proven that putting spearmint or something with a strong aroma, such as lavender, or eucalyptus reduces the panic in your nervous system and helps refocus

• A sour candy — or something that, when tasted, pulls you back into the moment

  • The putting the sour taste in your mouth almost snaps you back and gets your back to the moment and out of your tunnel vision

  • We don’t ALL like sour candy! You do not have to even eat the whole candy, but quickly put it in your mouth and allow it to awaken your mind.

• 8 to 10 different colored cards — cut small to fit in the pack

  • Each different color has a different prompt, and is personalized and created BY YOU, with what works for YOU specifically. We want to make these coping skills as simple as possible to use in the moment, and you know yourself best!

  • The prompts for the cards are…

    •  SIGNS I’M NOT DOING WELL: what do I feel, do, or think when things are getting rough?

    •  WHAT HOLDS ME: Activities that help me stay steady. Such as music, prayer, walking, journaling, cleaning, going to the gym, etc.

    • WHAT INSPIRES ME: What reminds me there’s something bigger? Faith, family, purpose, a mission, something I want to live for.

    •  WHAT CAN I DO OR NEED TO DO TO STAY SAFE: What actions reduce risk or help me hold the line when I’m struggling? Such as; lock things away, remove access to means, call someone, change location, breathe, etc.

    • WHO CAN I CALL: This card can be split into two separate cards: who can I call to listen to my current difficult thoughts, and who can I call who won’t talk about the hard stuff — just hang out or help shift my focus.

    • WHO CAN I TRUST TO TELL ME THE TRUTH: When you're struggling, who is someone you trust to be honest with you? Someone who knows you well and reminds you of what’s true when you’re losing sight of it.

    •  ADDITIONAL CARDS: What is a life worth wanting/living? What are some things I want to accomplish?

Struggling and experiencing suicidal thoughts and intent will always be difficult to deal with.  But you are not alone! The stay present pack was developed to provide tangible and accessible support, and we are all here to help support and work with you during these times.