Member-only story
Are Your Words Harming the Suicidal?
People who commit suicide are selfish.
They’re thinking only about themselves.
They didn’t think about the pain they’re inflicting on other people.
Sound familiar?
Nothing better than blaming those who were quite literally served up more than they could handle, eh?
The funny thing is, in our self-help obsessed culture, we’re always telling people to put themselves first, take care of #1, make sure you look out for yourself — let everyone else sit on the sidelines for a while.
Unless what you want to do with your life isn’t what I want you to do with your life.
Trying to end the pain the way you’re doing it is wrong.
We Suck at Helping the Suicidal
Do you ever feel like you just don’t know what to do when someone is struggling with suicidality? Like it’s too challenging to try to engage? You might do the wrong thing — and just make it worse…
Asking someone who is going through unending pain not to be selfish is a strange approach when we encourage people in much less dire situations to help themselves to a healthy dose of looking after yourself.
