Feelings about “suicide awareness” and “suicide prevention” are generally mixed.
Some support the movement wholeheartedly, while others think it’s a joke.
When I’ve spoken about suicide awareness/prevention in the past, at least half of the comments received will be about how suicide prevention does not work.
I actually understand this perspective.
Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, was going to stop my husband, Bret. Hindsight showed me that he’d been hellbent on self-destructing long before I got there, and he was truly a ticking time bomb.
No purple and turquoise ribbon would have stopped him. No crisis hotline.
He had spent his life in therapy, both mainstream and alternative, in hospitals, and trying various medications.
Sometimes things seemed really good for him, but that never lasted.
I firmly believe that he always meant to check out on his own terms; it was just a matter of when.
But I also respect the other perspective that I regularly see.
The one where someone will say that a call to the hotline saved their life. Or even being hospitalized for a time after nearly taking their life.
Because of that, I will always support this movement. I do not think it is a joke or a waste of time.
If it manages to save even one life, it is worth it.
If you have struggled and chose to stick around, thank you. You are an inspiration.
September is National Suicide Prevention Month.
September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day.
If you need help, text or call 988
In loving memory:
About Layla Beth Munk
Layla Beth Munk is a blogger & author who was thrust into this widowhood journey abruptly and tragically on February 11, 2018. Her husband of 12 years had ended his pain once and for all. She soon made the decision that she would not let his final decision define the rest of her life or their daughter’s life, so with her sense of humor at the helm, she started writing about her newfound station in life. Grief waves still get to her, and probably always will, but with the help of her fellow widows as well as friends and family, she has been able to realize her dream of becoming a published author! Layla is so grateful to Hope For Widows Foundation for providing this level of support to her, and so many others! Layla has two amazing children, one who is grown and one who is almost grown. She lives in eastern Oregon and has a wellness & beauty background. Layla enjoys writing poetry, watching anime, and homeschooling her daughter.
Her blog can be found at laylabethmunk.medium.com and her debut novella, 24 Hours in Vegas, is available on Amazon.