Life is all about having ups and downs. Everyone faces good and bad phases in life. There come many times when the sadness, anxiety and stress overtake every good thing you have in life and put you in such a mental situation where you just feel like you cannot take it anymore. This is the time when many people lose control of their mind and find it easy to give up the beautiful gift that God has given us to all, the life that is. If we talk about some factual data, the World Health Organisation, commonly known as the WHO estimates that one person commits suicide every 40 seconds around the world. Furthermore, the number of unsuccessful suicide attempts across the world is much more than this number. However, suicide is not the answer to your problems. If you or someone you know are stressed and having suicidal thoughts, there are things you can do to help yourself or your acquaintances to prevent suicide.
Even though we are all connected with one another through social media sites 24 x 7, throughout the year, we often fail to feel what someone you are close with is going through in life. The painful fact about suicides is that people do not often perceive what someone is going through until they hear the news such a mishap. Hence, it is very important that you identify warning signs that display the symptoms of suicidal thoughts.
Here, we are sharing some of the common warning signs of suicide that you can identify of your friends’ and acquaintances’ social media.
Withdrawal from Social Activities
This is one of the most common symptoms of suicide that you find when someone is going through depression and having suicidal thoughts. You may notice that people who often have the suicidal thoughts avoid social activities, be it sports activities or clubbing, participating in conversations with others, stopped posting or engaging with others’ posts etc. Disinterest is among the major signs of suicide. People suffering from depression often refuse to join in the activities they used to enjoy earlier. If any of your friends or acquaintances are no longer interested in the activities they once enjoyed, there may be the chances that they have been going through depression.
Lack of Emotion
Another sign of depression or suicidal behavior is the sudden lack of emotion for everything and everyone. People having depression often do not care about things they once cared a lot. Such people do not want to be a part of society and its characteristics. If your friend is apathetic to his or her surroundings, it is a warning sign of suicide.
Prolonged Sadness and Loneliness
Today, we go through various things and feelings during the day that causes sudden mood swings. There may be multiple reasons why someone is feeling sad or lonely. However, having a prolonged sadness or isolation can be linked to depression and signs of suicidal. Hence, if you find your friend sadness, anger or stubbornness for a longer period of time, he or she might be suffering from depression.
Having Guilt or Shame
We often experience such instances in life when we feel guilty or embarrassed for our deeds or because of others’ actions that have a direct or indirect impact on us. These things often lead people to feel humiliated and ashamed of themselves. If any of your acquaintances have experienced something humiliating, embarrassing or shameful and is acting weird because of the instance, you must check on him or her. There may be chances that this may result in depression in some people which if not addressed timely might lead to him/her ending their life.
Expressing Desire to Escape
People who often get suicidal thoughts have the desire of escaping from the situation or the world. They often post on social media about their wish to escape from the world or quitting everything. This is one of the common expression that people who go through depression often have & are having suicidal thoughts. If you see any of your friends on social media posting such content, you must check on them and counsel them before they become of the victim of depression & commit suicide.
Talking about Painful Life and Peaceful Death
The reason why people commit suicide is because they feel it is easy to die than to live. And, when such a thought come across the mind, it might lead to a devastating consequence. People who are depressed often find their life is quite painful. They feel that death is more peaceful than to live a miserable life. If you find any of your social media friend posting about such things or things that might point to suicidal thoughts & sentences, you must talk to them and feed them with positive thoughts.
How Can You Help Someone Having Suicidal Thoughts?
If you notice these warning signs any of your friends or acquaintances posting on social media, you must reach out to them either via personal message or through calling on their phone number. Ask how they are feeling and what they are going through in life. It is understandable that they might not open up with you straightaway. However, you must put yourself in their shoes and try to understand what they are enduring. Listen to what they are saying. There may be some chances that you do not relate to what they are talking about. Still, pay attention to what they have to talk about various topics and things. It is possible that all they need is the ears to hear them out.
Perhaps, you can help them without doing anything but listening to what they have to say. Sometimes, people who are going through depression and are having suicidal thoughts need nothing but someone to listen to them peacefully. Just reassure them with the temporariness of the situation and make them understand that no matter how hard time they are having in life, it is all momentary. Everything changes with time and nothing remains the same for long. You may ask them to take the professional counselling. Go through some of the tips which you can share or help in increasing their mental health. It is also important to keep a healthy & nutritious diet to boost mental health. Let them know you care for them and there are others who care for them too. Let them know that they are not alone and they can reach out to you anytime, day or night.