Wake up call
by Dara Haslam
One Saturday morning my husband and I went target shooting with some friends. Not a typical outing for me to participate in. It was my first time. Pulling onto the rough terrain, I saw off to the distance a beautiful red sports car, I thought to myself – if our car is unable to make it more than 10 feet off the road without some serious damage – how did that car get all the way up there?
We jumped into a friend’s vehicle, traveling a few miles off from the main road. There are no words that can truly explain the deep pain and sadness of coming across someone who had decided to end their life. Someone who, I imagine felt so alone, sad, or even angry; to shoot off several rounds into the hillside before deciding to end their own life.
I pointed out the red sports car to the authorities, thinking that by chance it might have belonged to the person. Two or three hours later, recovering a little from the shock, the authorities shared with us that the car, did not belong to the person we had found but another person who had decided to take their own life as well.
One day I found myself sitting there on the floor of my dining room thinking to myself - I am not worth anything and found myself feeling very close to jumping off of the balcony. Phone rang.
There are several mental health issues that many of us face today. Depression and other mental health issues going untreated or mistreated can lead to suicide. Suicide is preventable and yet in 2007 it was reported to be the 10th leading cause of death. The overall deaths due to suicide in 2007 were 34,598 the average every year totaling 38,000 people (Suicide in America: Frequently Asked Questions).
This topic...this taboo topic is hard to write about. It is extremely personal but despite how personal; it is real; it is hard; and it needs to be addressed. Being aware of my depression and desiring peace in my own life I started to look around and find signs of depression in those around me. I started to share about what I was going through and found several others struggling or who had struggled themselves with it. What a support these people have been to me and hopefully I to them.
I decided to share these memories in this way because the deepest depression brings you here to thoughts of ending your own life, to actually ending your own life. I was once told you need to fight to be happy. When I had reached my darkest moment my wake up call came from the simplest of things - the phone ringing. It snapped me out of my mode of thought and made me realize how did I get this far? It scared me and I held on to my dear life with everything I had. I have overcome my depression and have found peace in my life. It took what seemed like an extremely long time but I know it is possible. But you have to fight for it! It is a worthy fight - a fight worth having!
We jumped into a friend’s vehicle, traveling a few miles off from the main road. There are no words that can truly explain the deep pain and sadness of coming across someone who had decided to end their life. Someone who, I imagine felt so alone, sad, or even angry; to shoot off several rounds into the hillside before deciding to end their own life.
I pointed out the red sports car to the authorities, thinking that by chance it might have belonged to the person. Two or three hours later, recovering a little from the shock, the authorities shared with us that the car, did not belong to the person we had found but another person who had decided to take their own life as well.
One day I found myself sitting there on the floor of my dining room thinking to myself - I am not worth anything and found myself feeling very close to jumping off of the balcony. Phone rang.
There are several mental health issues that many of us face today. Depression and other mental health issues going untreated or mistreated can lead to suicide. Suicide is preventable and yet in 2007 it was reported to be the 10th leading cause of death. The overall deaths due to suicide in 2007 were 34,598 the average every year totaling 38,000 people (Suicide in America: Frequently Asked Questions).
This topic...this taboo topic is hard to write about. It is extremely personal but despite how personal; it is real; it is hard; and it needs to be addressed. Being aware of my depression and desiring peace in my own life I started to look around and find signs of depression in those around me. I started to share about what I was going through and found several others struggling or who had struggled themselves with it. What a support these people have been to me and hopefully I to them.
I decided to share these memories in this way because the deepest depression brings you here to thoughts of ending your own life, to actually ending your own life. I was once told you need to fight to be happy. When I had reached my darkest moment my wake up call came from the simplest of things - the phone ringing. It snapped me out of my mode of thought and made me realize how did I get this far? It scared me and I held on to my dear life with everything I had. I have overcome my depression and have found peace in my life. It took what seemed like an extremely long time but I know it is possible. But you have to fight for it! It is a worthy fight - a fight worth having!