Avoid Suicidal Thoughts, Mental Pain, During Thanksgiving, Etc.

To concentrate on gratitude and the blessings each of us has In November can nourish and affirm our wellbeing. That is one way to go through Thanksgiving, Christmas and surrounding holidays. On a day or during a month about gratitude, some people struggle to feel it, or to feel human warmth.

On Nov. 19 CNN ran a story, by Kara Nelson, about San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge being renovated to reduce suicide attempts. According to CNN, the iconic bridge has a somber and morbid reputation. For decades desperate people have used it to jump to their deaths.

A tragicomic note is that, after jumping, many people feel an instant regret!

As you observe life, the drive to live comes shakily or uneasily to some people. I have read that for those who consider suicide, ironically, they don’t want death. Instead, at wit’s end, with no through lane that has promise, suicide can seem like the sole exit from pain.

For some of us, having no invitation to be and dine among friends during a major holiday can be stressful. Loneliness can be among the worst of these. It can make your self-esteem waver. Some people go through that day alone. For example, some of us can find thanksgiving is one long, empty and trying day. We forget any reasons to be grateful during that day. Those who’ve felt enough mental pain to choose to jump from a bridge are examples of mental tragedy.

Decades ago when I felt very low, I didn’t think of leaping from a bridge. I had no plan to end myself. Doctors and therapists ask if you have one; that is a warning sign. In emotional trouble, I called a hotline. Tragically, I remember that the person had either no interest in or training to help me. I chose to hang up. I thought “my god. I have to deal with this all by myself!” 

According to CNN, “’All I wanted to do was live’: After years of debate, a suicide safety net for the Golden Gate Bridge is nearing completion. Survivors say it’ll give many a 2nd chance at life.

In the CNN story, “on September 25, 2000, Kevin Hines climbed over the rail of the Golden Gate Bridge. “He jumped “My hands left the rail and I had an instantaneous regret for my actions,” Hines told CNN. …“During the 4-second fall, Hines said the feeling of depression left his mind, and was replaced by a survival urge he described as almost instinctual.

“And at that time, all I wanted to do was live” Hines said.

“More than a confirmed 1,800 people have jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge since it was built in 1937, according to the Bridge Rail Foundation. The very first incident happened that same year.”

When I was suffering all those years ago I didn’t know that I was mentally ill. Furthermore, some forces dissuaded me from seeking a therapist to help me.

If you’re quiet(er) and sociable when TV, theater and streaming shows begin to fill your at-home screens you might feel left out of America’s “reindeer games”. Maybe some will call it saccharine. But to know that you deserve to like and love yourself and choose to work to keep that daily is a habit for life.