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major tw !! // suicide, abuse
things you shouldn& #39;t say to someone that& #39;s opening up to you abt feeling suicidal and what you can say instead- a thread;
things you shouldn& #39;t say to someone that& #39;s opening up to you abt feeling suicidal and what you can say instead- a thread;
"stay strong" - suicidal people are already strong for carrying this constant pain in them so telling them to stay strong doesn& #39;t help at all INSTEAD say "it& #39;s okay you can lean on me when you feel weak" it& #39;s more comforting and makes us feel less alone tbh
"hang in there" "hang on" - pls don& #39;t ever tell a suicidal person to HANG in there it might trigger them even more since hanging is a way to commit suicide INSTEAD say "let me stay by your side and help you heal" literally just show them they dont have to fight alone
"im sorry:((" "oh:((" "felt://" "pain</3" that& #39;s just straight up insensitive and doesn& #39;t help at all tbh INSTEAD say "it& #39;s okay i& #39;m here for you" "you& #39;re not alone" "everything will be okay" "i know how you feel so feel free to talk to me whenever you want/need"
"please stay for me" this may be comforting to SOME but most hate being told this bcs it guilt trips us INSTEAD give them reasons to feel motivated to keep themselves alive for example if they like a certain band: "let& #39;s fight this low together and go to XY& #39;s concert together!<3"
"but there& #39;s so much you didn& #39;t do yet!!" most really don& #39;t care or they feel guilty INSTEAD say "we can do things together that would help you feel better if you want!!<3 or we could just spend time together doing nothing too:) anything that helps js good<3"
"you don& #39;t know what& #39;s gonna happen in the future" suicidal people often don& #39;t see a future for themselves in the first place anyway so this doesn& #39;t help at all INSTEAD say "i believe in you and i can see a bright future for you trust me it& #39;s gonna be better"
"are you okay?" "u ok?" "how are you?" this is a simple question that overwhelms many bcs we simply dont know how we feel INSTEAD ask "how was your day?" "do you wanna talk?" "how& #39;s life going for you these days?" "hope you had a good day and if not that& #39;s ok you can talk to me"
make sure to not only talk to them about mental health stuff tho it manes some of us uncomfortable after a while bcs all the memory we collect with you is just us venting INSTEAD start random chats to lift up the mood
make sure to talk to them actively but not all the time everyday bcs some get very overwhelmed and dont feel ready to say they dont wanna talk bcs they dont wanna be rude INSTEAD ask them "hey are you free to chat for a bit?:))" or "hey text me back when you feel like talking:)"
please understand when they say "i dont feel like talking" "can we stop talking about this?" "i don& #39;t feel ready yet" "i& #39;m not sure.." etc and don& #39;t push them to open up or do stuff they don& #39;t feel comfortable with it could trigger them
please also consider that most suicidal people ghost text messages because they don& #39;t feel ready to talk or they& #39;re busy trying their best to keep themselves alive so don& #39;t spam them or get mad INSTEAD tell them "text/call me back when you& #39;re ready, take your time"
be careful of how you talk to them!!
>tone, choice of words etc. most suicidal people struggle to feel comfortable talking to ppl INSTEAD it& #39;s important you talk to them in a soft and calm tone and choose the right words to make them feel okay and safe to talk to you
>tone, choice of words etc. most suicidal people struggle to feel comfortable talking to ppl INSTEAD it& #39;s important you talk to them in a soft and calm tone and choose the right words to make them feel okay and safe to talk to you
be careful of your body language!!
>raising hands, jokingly aggressive moves etc might trigger many suicidal people bcs they might have trauma from abuse INSTEAD be gentle and careful, don& #39;t make sudden moves or (loud) sounds
>raising hands, jokingly aggressive moves etc might trigger many suicidal people bcs they might have trauma from abuse INSTEAD be gentle and careful, don& #39;t make sudden moves or (loud) sounds
if you see ppl on your tl (deep-)vent always make sure to drop a breathing exercise with a comforting message bcs some of us don& #39;t even notice our breathing get heavy and irregular. also maybe dm them and make sure to be there for them until they feel better again.
you really don& #39;t have to do much tbh. just 1)be considerate and careful, 2)listen to us and 3)make us feel comfortable and safe with you through checking up on us and talking to us. we will come to you whenever we need you. just be there for us.
all we need is a hug and being told "it& #39;s okay, everything is okay and you& #39;re safe. i& #39;m here for you and i& #39;ll stay with you." give us a shoulder to cry on and hold us tight when we feel like letting go. alone that helps so so much you won& #39;t believe it.
always be nice to everyone!! you never know what someone is going through!!<3
mental health matters
mental health matters
