Suicide Ideation

🚨SENSITIVE TOPIC ALERT🚨

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It’s been a while but we are back🤗

Welcome back to mental health Fridays with NBCC ( New Beginnings Counselling Center Botswana), we hope you have been well as we have been.

Let’s talk suicide ideation/ suicidal thoughts

💔 WHAT IS SUICIDE IDEATION?

Suicide ideation is a medical term for suicidal thoughts which involves one having thoughts of ending their own life, it may or may not include actively planning suicide.

HOW CAN I TELL THAT ONE HAS SUICIDAL THOUGHTS?

😔They may mostly hold unusual conversations on;

-death

-ways to die

-feelings of guilt and shame

-feelings of being a burden to others

😔They may isolate themselves or withdraw from friends and family

😔Use alcohol and drugs excessively

😔Sleep or eat more or less

😔Take unnecessary dangerous risks

😔Research on ways to die

😔Make a will=suicide note

😔Give away important possessions or money

😔Conversations that hint saying goodbye

HOW CAN ONE COPE WITH SUICIDAL THOUGHTS?

1. Positive self-talk

2. Focus on the positive things in your life; in every situation there is a positive silver-lining ( shifting -focus)

3. Do Consequential thinking

4. Find meaning to life, volunteer, help someone with a situation, it will give you purpose

5. Journalling ; track your triggers, what happened, what thoughts developed, what emotions developed, what behaviour followed.

What can you change?

6.i)Assume the problem is gone, what does that mean to you?

ii) imagine your problem has been solved, what is different for you?

iii) envision your life without the problem, what will that look like for you? What will that mean to you?

iv) Assume you woke up and a miracle happened over night; what will that miracle be for you?

7. Notice your ruminations, confront the irrational, distorted and negative thoughts.

WHAT CAN ONE DO IF THEY ARE HAVING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS?

🙃Surround yourself with people with positive energy

🙃Find a professional trained in suicide /trauma counselling; find a counsellor /psychotherapist in your area ( seek individual counselling /psychotherapy or group intervention with people experiencing similar challenges for support ( Group counselling)

🙃Re-Visit your goals and dreams

🙃Go to a place of worship if you are a spiritual person ; connect with the creator/ higher power.

Take away is: suicide should never be an option no matter what the circumstances are, there is always a way out, and an even better option. Open up to those around you, or better yet; contact New Beginnings Counselling Center Botswana and talk to a professional.

Do it for no one but yourself because when you do it for someone else it will never be enough, and the pressure will always be there that ends up driving you to suicide.

For psychotherapy and trauma counselling bookings please call us on 311 6488 or WhatsApp us on 76 890 835

Love and light❤️💫

By Riittah Mmonadibe @NBCC.