Beating Suicidal Thoughts

Things to do now

Beating suicidal thoughts can be done! They are distorted information taking over your thinking when you are feeling down

If your suicidal ideas are strong, the following tips may help you.
1) Try to see the suicidal ideas as symptoms of an illness, not part of you. They are alien thoughts trying to destroy you. Get help from family, friends or professionals as soon as possible. It is much easier to fight these thoughts if you have help from other people to supplement your own efforts. Your family and friends would rush to help you if you were drowning or in an accident, so tell them now if your life is in danger from suicide

2) Try to remember that other people have felt suicidal and are now glad to be alive. This is the outcome in nearly every single case, so it is likely to be the outcome in your case also, even though the pain is bad at the moment.

3) Find someone you can talk to, whether it is a family member, a friend, a professional or a telephone crisis service such as the Samaritans. Human brains can understand and resolve lots of problems, but only when they have been put into words, so your brain can understand exactly what the issue is.

4) If you cannot talk to someone at the moment, start writing down the problems and the feelings you have. But don’t just write down the negatives, write down the positives you would tell someone else in your position.

5) TELL YOUSELF, OR WRITE DOWN, WHAT YOU WOULD TELL A FRIEND WHO WAS FEELING SUICIDAL.
6) Try to have someone with you when you are suicidal. Go and see someone or ask someone to come to you, and maybe spend the night in their house, so that you are not alone at night with bad suicidal thoughts. In the morning, services can be utilised to help you.

7) DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL OR TAKE DRUGS AT THIS TIME:
When you are affected by alcohol or drugs, they wash away your logic and intelligence, and let you emotions and impulses take over. When you are feeling really miserable, these impulses and emotions will drastically exaggerate how bad things are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

8) Get rid of the methods you were contemplating using.
This will lessen the temptation when you are feeling particularly vulnerable.

9) Go somewhere safe:
This may mean you can go for a walk, visit friends, go to a movie, or do something that gets you away from the temptation to harm yourself. Avoid places you had been considering going to with a view to harming yourself.

10) GO TO SLEEP INSTEAD:
Just like doctors give people painkillers and put them asleep when they have bad physical pain, knowing the pain will be less when they wake up, so it is the same for psychological pain. Go to bed, and try to sleep. Even if you cannot sleep, try to use some relaxation exercises, and try to think of the positives other people would see in you and in your life. When you wake up, you can access help from family, friends and professionals.

 

Disclaimer:  The Australian Suicide Prevention Foundation (1800HOLDON.com.au) is providing information only, not medical or psychological assessment, advice or treatment.

For any feedback on this page, and any suggestions you think may be useful, please emaileditor@suicideprevention.com.au.

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