If you are having suicidal thoughts it’s important to know you’re not alone. Many people experience feeling suicidal at some point during their lives. It doesn’t make you weak or crazy, it simply means you are in a lot of emotional pain and cannot cope right now. In time you can overcome these feelings.

How you might feel;

  • Hopeless
  • Tearful and overwhelmed by negative thoughts
  • Unbearable pain that you can’t see ending
  • Unwanted, unneeded and a waste of space
  • Numb
  • Like everyones better off without you

How this might look;

  • Not Sleeping
  • Changes in your weight (gaining or losing)
  • Not taking care of yourself (not taking care of your appearance or not getting washed)
  • Avoiding other people
  • Urges to self harm
  • Self loathing

There are some steps you can take to keep yourself safe;

1. Do not do anything right now.
Suicidal thoughts are different to actions – your thoughts do not have to become real. You may feel suicidal today but does that mean you will tomorrow, delay, wait, press pause. Distract yourself.

2. Make your home safe.
Remove anything that you could use to harm yourself; razors, knives, and pills. If you need medication, give it to someone who can give it to you only when you need it.

3. Tell someone how you’re feeling.
Share how you feel with someone you trust, a friend, a family member, a teacher, a youth worker, your GP, a counsellor, call a helpline. Contact your crisis team if you have one. If at first someone doesn’t understand, try someone else. Talking can make you feel much better, like a weight has been lifted, and release that negativity bringing you down.

4. Avoid drugs and alcohol.
Drugs and alcohol can make these feelings stronger, and make you behave more spontaneously and not like yourself. It is important to not drink alcohol or take any drugs you are not prescribed while feeling suicidal or hopeless.

5. Believe.
People do get through this. This is a good thing. It means you can too. It is likely you will live through these feelings, no matter how alone, in pain and hopeless you feel. You just need to give yourself time, and remember there are friends, family and professionals there to help you too!

Helplines

Samaritans – for everyone
Call 116 123
Email jo@samaritans.org

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) – for men
Call 0800 58 58 58 – 5pm to midnight every day
Visit the webchat page

Papyrus – for people under 35
Call 0800 068 41 41 – Monday to Friday 9am to 10pm, weekends and bank holidays 2pm to 10pm
Text 07860 039967
Email pat@papyrus-uk.org

Childline – for children and young people under 19
Call 0800 1111 – the number will not show up on your phone bill