The goal of suicide is the elimination of pain. However, we need a more realistic focus on ‘coping’ with pain as opposed to ‘elimination’ of pain. Teaching our children how to cope would be an excellent starting point to suicide prevention.
The goal of suicide is the elimination of pain. However, we need a more realistic focus on ‘coping’ with pain as opposed to ‘elimination’ of pain. Teaching our children how to cope would be an excellent starting point to suicide prevention.
When you are suicidal, you are trying to solve a problem. That problem is the unbearable pain that you are feeling. Although ending your life may feel like a way to stop your agony, it is not the only way. Right now, your vision of what is possible is constricted because of your pain and hopelessness. Although you may not see them, there are other actions that you can take to reduce your pain and improve how you are feeling. I call these actions coping resources.
My definition of a coping resource is “any thought or action that lessens emotional pain and creates more of a feeling of health and well-being”.
An example of a coping resource is exercise. Exercise works to reduce your stress hormones, increase your “feel good” hormones, and improve your physical health. Another coping resource is having structure and routine in your life. Having these in place can prevent your ruminating thoughts from overtaking you by giving you something to focus on outside of yourself.
Finding new ways of coping will help you if you are experiencing suicidal pain arising from mental health challenges. They will also work if your thoughts of dying are related to real-life problems such as going through health struggles, dealing with bankruptcy, addiction, or a family conflict.
With either situation, if you put enough of these coping resources into action, you can decrease your pain enough that you will want to keep on living and move forward to work these problems through.
The coping resources below can help you decrease your pain enough that you will want to keep on living:
Consider these two questions posed by psychiatrist John Stiles and psychologist Kirk Strosahl:
The content of this website is for educational purposes only and is not meant to replace diagnosis or treatment by a qualified mental health professional.