Let's talk.
This week’s blog post was originally going to be about the skiing and pain, however due to the recent light of Caroline Flack’s tragic suicide, we have decided that this was a far more important subject to discuss.
Within this blog we are going to talk about who to contact and talk to in a crisis, the warning signs to look out for as friends and family, and how to look after our own mental health.
Our thoughts are with Caroline’s friends and family through this difficult time.
1. Who to call
If you are ever experiencing any suicidal thoughts or contemplating suicide please take a second, and call one of the following helplines:
Samaritans: for everyone – 116 123
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): for men – 0800 58 58 58
Papyrus: for people under 35 – 0800 068 41 41
Childline: for children under 19 – 0800 1111
Samaritans are also 24 hour/7 days a week available to listen.
2. What to do
If you are ever contemplating suicide, then please TALK. It does not have to be with a friend or family member. Anyone from your chiropractor to your GP to one of the hotlines above, just make sure you tell someone what you are feeling. Even if them themselves cannot help, they can direct you to someone who can.
Remember you are not weak or useless to have these thoughts, and making sure to talk to someone is one of the most crucial things you can do to get help.
3. Consider consistent help
Your friend or family member may not know always what to say or do, but there are plenty of people out there who do. Please consider speaking to your GP about counselling or seek out a local counsellor who can help. Mind charity helps by providing counsellors and groups in your area:
Having help with how you are feeling and your thoughts is no different to going to a chiropractor for pain, we cannot always deal with these things alone and making sure you always have someone to talk to is absolutely vital.
Signs to look for as a friend or family member:
Behavioural:
Isolating themselves from others
Not communicating with friends and family
Writing a will, or giving away possessions
Increased aggression
Increased drugs and substance abuse
Searching about suicide
Verbal markers:
Saying about feeling useless
Talking about killing themselves
Their life being a burden
Feeling stuck and not wanting to exist
Emotional markers:
Feeling depressed
Lack of interest in activities
Anxiety
Mood swings
Anger, yelling
Not wanting to leave the house, or even bed
Remember, DO NOT hesitate to use specific language. “Are you thinking about killing yourself?” If the answer is yes, maybe, or even a hesitation, act to get this person help with one of the helplines and groups above. People who have considered suicide live on to have a full and happy life, make sure they can have that chance by your actions and awareness.
How to look after your own mental wellbeing:
Make time to relax and unwind: we are so focused on what we should be doing all the time, and how we look to society, that we don’t make time to look after our own mental wellbeing.
More than ever we are bombarded with information via social media, emails, phone calls, messages, reviews, complaints – more than ever before (so anyone who says ‘it was never like this in my time’, please consider this). Our emotional wellbeing is 100% a priority, and these are ways you can help yourself:
Walking: walking somewhere rural or in a park, listening or not listening to music, but keeping our head up towards the tree line, is a brilliant way to relax and process thoughts over the day
Meditation: apps like Headspace and Calm are wonderful apps that allow for some simple meditation, even just 10 minutes before bed can help you to unwind and relax
Build in breaks from work: throughout the year, make sure you have time away from work, either on holiday or just a complete lock down from emails and phone calls
Spend time with each other: it is too easy to put off that ‘coffee with a friend’ because we deem there are too many other things we need to do, prioritise that friends – for your sake and for theirs
Exercise: walking, running, going to the gym – these can be both social but also exercise increases serotonin and endorphins that are our natural anti-depressants, it also helps to also build structure and routine into the day
Eat well: eating junk food and highly processed foods gives us temporary highs but mostly terrible lows – it also increases shame and humility and increases body image difficulty which can also affect mental health
Don’t be afraid of change: try and do something if you are stuck in a rut or have a job that you hate, and talk to someone if you need help in doing that
Go to your GP: if you are struggling consider going to your GP, they can help with a referral to a counsellor or prescribe medication – remember there is absolutely no shame in being on any form on anti-depressants.
If you have got to the end of this blog, thank you for taking the time to read it. I really hope it has been to some value for you and you take away things for yourself or your loved ones. It is okay not to be okay, and as a clinic ourselves, we are always here to help and listen.
Sophie x