Tag Archives: suicide

Don’t Let SAD Drag You Down This Winter


From Guest Blogger Kimberly Hayes

First comes the joy of Halloween, followed by Thanksgiving and the greatest celebration of all, Christmas. During that period, when most people’s spirits are up, others find themselves burdened with an unwelcome visitor: seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD.

This mental condition leaves its victims crippled with a host of symptoms that include fatigue, insomnia, hopelessness and depression. For some, getting through the day is a constant struggle as they drag themselves out of bed, go to work and come home in a state of misery.

If you suffer from SAD, you want to find a way out. If you know someone who does, you want to help. Here’s how to do that.

Exercise

This is going to be tricky, as this is about the last thing a sufferer wants to do. The trick is to not make it too difficult; a simple walk around the neighborhood would suffice for starters, and that’s even easier with a friend tagging along or a great playlist to jam to. This may get the ball rolling, after which they can make the workouts more difficult until back in summer form.

Team Sports

“Isn’t this just more exercise?” you’re probably thinking. But no, it’s much more than that. Sure, it burns calories, but joining a basketball, volleyball or soccer team also provides a dose of friendship and camaraderie that are hard to find elsewhere. It may involve paying a fee or buying some quality equipment, but bolstering your mental health is worth the small investment.

A Healthy Diet

A dietician speaking with Everyday Health emphasizes eating foods high in fiber, like beans, oats and brown rice, along with fruits and vegetables to maintain an optimal blood sugar level and keep your energy up. The protein found in chicken and fish also aid in that endeavour.

Quality Sleep

There’s a bit of a contradiction here, as it’s often the condition itself that’s preventing sufferers from getting a good night’s rest. However, there may be a way to break the cycle, and it could be as simple as keeping the bedroom cool and dark while avoiding stimulants like caffeine and sugar late in the day. A healthy diet and exercise help as well.

A Routine

Once the sufferer has broken the cycle of tossing and turning all night and feeling groggy during the day, they should stick with that same schedule, waking up at the same time, day in and day out, even on the weekends. They’ll fall into a natural rhythm as their body tells them when it’s time to go to bed in the evening.

A Dawn Simulator

As for waking up in the morning, this device can help. It’s far from complicated. It’s just a bedside lamp that wakes the sleeper up by gradually increasing in intensity, mimicking the rising sun during the springtime. That alone dispels some of the winter doldrums.

A Light Box

The condition is brought on by the longer nights and the absence of the sun’s brightening rays earlier and earlier in the day, but they can be replaced by this device. It’s used as a form of therapy, with sufferers of SAD turning it on and facing the light whenever they feel down.

Meditation

According to one writer with Headspace, this ancient practice helped him emerge victoriously following a long struggle with depression and thoughts of suicide. Though difficult, his regular sessions of mindfulness allowed him to accept his demons, then gradually distance himself from their grasp and reach a state of contentment. It could do the same for you or your loved one.

Aromatherapy

How this lifts someone’s mood is still a bit of a mystery, but scents have been used for this purpose over the course of millenia, so it may be worth some experimentation. That involves diffusing essential oils in your home, with lemon balm, sage and lavender coming highly recommended.

These methods may take time to be effective, but with a little patience, they could also put the joy back in winter.

Prevalence of Suicide


My granddaughter is always asking me what she should do if someone tries to kidnap her. I give her a few self-defense tips, tell her to always be aware, and then try to alleviate her fear. I impress upon her the fact that in all my years, I have never met anyone who has been kidnapped nor have I ever met someone who knows someone who has been kidnapped. I explained that these facts lead me to believe that your chances of being kidnapped are lower than your chances of winning the lottery. (I actually know someone who won that.)

I used to feel the same way about suicide. Growing up I never heard of anyone neither I nor my family knew that committed suicide. I never even knew someone who knew someone. Now I know too many that have either been on the verge, tried, or even succeeded. Not only do I know people, people I love, I have been there myself. Talk to people. Tell them you care. Be available to talk. But you know what? You need to understand that if someone is truly intent on killing themselves, they are going to find a way. You can try with all your heart to prevent it, but they will just get crafty. They may even convince you that they are fine now so you start to relax and give them some space. The next day they are just gone.

It is NOT your fault. They are responsible for their own actions. You did NOT fail. Their own mind failed them. It convinced them that the only way to end their suffering was to end their existence. You cannot fight someone else’s inner demons. You can, however, not create demons of your own over their loss.
Please let them go. Feel sad that they lost their battle. Honor their memory and the love you shared. Understand that none of it was your fault. You cannot fight an enemy you cannot see. No one can truly see the inner workings of another’s mind. All you can really do is protect and nurture your own.

Why Taxpayers Should Cover PTSD Treatment for Veterans by Lori Barnes

DSC_0077Every veteran suicide just breaks my heart and makes me angry. I’ve been hearing recently that some in the medical and military communities are claiming that those coming home with PTSD must have been damaged in some way beforehand. I don’t agree. I think a lot of our soldiers coming home with PTSD had gentle, kind hearts to begin with that are now heavy with fear and guilt. They can’t help it. In America, for the most part, we all have kind, gentle lives. We aren’t war torn. We really don’t know what it’s like to fear for our lives and those of our children every day.

The military takes these basically kind people and puts them through basic training. They are all treated like dogs regardless of whom they are or where they come from. Once they are all at their lowest, the drill sergeants begin to bring them back up together to make them one cohesive unit, equal on all terms. This is necessary. Continue reading and add your comment

Cilla McCain says Non-Hostile Deaths Are Overtaking Veterans

Cilla McCain:  “For nearly a decade, I’ve been researching and writing about the issue of non-hostile deaths in the military. Early on in my research, I would get upset at the information provided by our troops and their families. Their revelations painted a picture of a dysfunctional military culture that allows medical and legal malpractice, as well as violent crime, to thrive and exist…”

She goes on to say that suicide prevention is a failure and that many deaths liste3d as suicide may actually be murders.

If you want to do something to help, sign the “The Stahlman-Shue Bill of Rights for Bereaved Military Families” to insure investigations are accurate and that the nation’s military families have a voice in the process. Please pass the word on to others.

The full article is here.