According to CPR NEWS teen suicide has been at its highest in Colorado in 2019 and rates continue to climb. It is sad to see so many teenagers killing themselves due to bad situations and depression. Here are some tips to help you or those around you.
There is no reason to take your own life. Things get hard, yes, but there’s also so much life to live left. You are still young and in high school. After high school, it is a fresh start to everything that happened. You don’t necessarily have to forget what has happened, but learn from it and grow.
Focus on now. Do not worry too much about the future or your past. If you are dwelling on something that you did in the past, it is a chance to learn. The past is just history after whatever has happened. We can only pick up from our mistakes and learn from them. It is not like we can time travel and take back something we wish we had not done.
Focus on the next day, and treat every new day as a fresh start. That is the only way we can really move forward from regrets of the past. Yes, bad things happen, but how we react to these things is how we learn.
Lack of social interaction or loss of friends can be a problem for teens. Some teens can think something is wrong with them if they do not have a lot of friends, or are losing some of them. Everyone wants to have lots of friends and people to talk to, but that is not always the best thing. In high school, it is easy to want a lot of friends but truthfully you only want a couple of close ones. Ones that truly care for who you are. You can’t satisfy everyone, but you can help you, be you. We all prefer to have a couple real friends rather than 10 fake ones.
Do not keep all your thoughts in, it is always better to get things out. Bottling up problems can lead to stress, depression and suicide. ‘Suicide is only a permanent solution to a temporary situation.’
Try to find a close friend or family member to talk to or a trusted adult. Everyone goes through things; it is normal as a human being. You are not the only one going through a tough time. Covid has messed with all of us. Life is not easy, unfortunately, and it is okay to ask for help or talk to someone because everyone needs help sometimes. Everyone cries, everyone goes through pain, that is why we can notice when we are enjoying the miracle of life.
If you have a friend struggling with something, do your best to comfort them and keep their mind busy. If things get escalated, do not be afraid to contact someone, even if they do not want you to tell anybody. Even if they threaten your friendship, you want to contact someone because you would much rather have them get help and be alive rather than losing them forever.
You might get overwhelmed with that guilt if something were to happen, and it was too late, but it is okay. You can do better for someone else. We promise. If you are on the phone with them and they hang up, keep calling to make sure they are still alive. In that process, if you can find another phone and call anyone that lives close to them, or even the police as a last resort. Try contacting the parents first.
According to (teens.drugabuse.gov) there have been 4,777 deaths due to substance abuse as of 2019. Some teens turn to drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism for whatever they are dealing with and that is not good. It is not healthy to put any type of substance or any dangerous drugs in your system, and it is not safe for your health. We know you’ve heard that so many times, but there’s a reason for it.
Nowadays you do not know what someone could be putting in that stuff. Be the one to make better choices. The same is for alcohol as well. People could mix dissolvable drugs into drinks that may not be safe. ‘That is the point,’ some people often think when someone tells them to improve their habits. But it’s true. People care for you.
If you do know someone who is doing drugs or handling alcohol at an early age, let an adult know. It could save their life. Losing a friend, or family member, is always a turning event in one’s life.
Make sure to keep any weapons or sharp objects away from yourself or a friend if they are showing any signs of harming themself. If you see any type of self-harm done to them, make sure you get them help immediately, because if they try once they will do it again.
People will always try and tear you down and say you are not good enough. But that is not the case, do not listen to them, they do not know you; they do not live your life or the problems you’ve experienced. They do not have control over it. You are you, and a great life worthy to live. So live it.
People think they are an expert on everyone else except themselves. That is true in most cases. But, people cannot tell you what to do if they cannot even figure out how to better themselves. They take their own advice with a grain of salt. Open your eyes, look for the opportunity you have, even if you have to ask someone else for the good things they see in you. No one’s better than another, we are all equal.
If it comes to it and you have nobody, go call 1-800-273-8255. This is the suicide prevention hotline, and they are always willing to help. There is also a Colorado Crisis Service which is 1-844-493-8255 or text “TALK” to 38255. If you know someone who is struggling, it helps to try and save them, so we do not keep losing the ones close to us.