Ssshhhhhhhhhh…
Don’t talk about it
Don’t even think about it
The more we ignore it
The more it’ll go away
Soon enough, it’ll all be forgotten
Killing oneself?
That only happens in the West
If you ever feel like doing it
Probably because you don’t believe
You lack faith in God
You have no hope in life
Stop thinking about it at all
It’ll all pass
And you’ll move on
So forget about it
And Ssshhhhhh
Never bring it up again.
The amount of times I’ve been silenced on suicide and mental health astonishes even me at this point in life, never have I seen people be so ignorant and treat a matter as taboo, even when it happens several times in their community as they treat mental illness and suicide. It looks like staying silent on the matter is just increasing the rates by the tens and thousands.
In 2017 , suicide rates in Kenya raised by 58%.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that close to 800,000 people commit suicide every year, which means one person every 40 seconds.
Kenya is ranked as 6th in Africa for the highest number of depression cases reported.
For ages 15-29, suicide is the second leading cause of death.
And get this, males are at a higher risk of suicide than females.
Toxic masculinity, where men aren’t allowed to feel, talk about their feelings or express emotions should stop.
We have big issues to address in our community, and instead of treating it like a serious matter which needs attention, we push it aside, sweep it under the carpet and hope we never have to ever talk about it.
Suicide is not a single thought, of I want to die.
It’s walking up in the morning wishing you had died in your sleep.
It’s feeling no will to continue living, barely surviving
It’s wishing you never have to explain, why you always tired and down
Wishing you’d just fade away and no one would notice
It’s trying to escape the suffocation
The drowning, the exhaustion
It’s thinking you don’t have anything to live for
No one cares
No one ever did
No one will ever do
It’s not wanting to cause pain
Not wanting to be a burden
It’s feeling left out
Like no one can understand
They never do
They never will
It’s feeling too much
Then nothing at all
Craving the lightness of just being a soul
It’s the depression talking
The misery setting in
And anxiety rooted within
It’s the dark thoughts clouding all good
That even when you try to remember that there is hope
It disappears
Cause in the end we all are alone.
That is what feeling suicidal is to me
That even when you want to hope
It runs fast leaving coldness
It’s losing one’s self to
Numbness
Darkness
Drowning
Cutting
Jumping
Hanging
Swallowing
Hopelessness
one small act and it’ll all fade away
No more pain
No more dismay
No hurting anymore.
But see, all this is a LIE. PEOPLE CARE.
Even when we think that it’ll all end with us, it doesn’t.
We still have mountains to climb
Sunsets to watch
Drinks to enjoy
Rains to dance in
Oceans to explore
Cultures to experience
We are yet to love and be loved
To care and be cared for
And it all begins with me
And you
You mean the world to someone else
You never are alone
Stop with the depreciating jokes
Every morning
Tell yourself
You are strong
You can make it
You can make it
You can make it
Then strive for it
Strive for a better day
Strive for a real smile
One day at a time
Just one more day at a time
Smell the fresh earthy smell after rain
The warm coffee scent
The rich chocolate taste
The feeling of the first morning ray
The sound of the chirping birds
You never are alone
Seek help
Lean on others to support you
To family and friends dealing with people struggling with mental illnesses and suicidal thoughts, talk about it, don’t shun them away, and later wonder why they never said anything, why you never noticed and that you were always there. If you can’t handle it, ask a professional to intervene.
Be a good listener, listen well.
Offer emotional support.
Encourage them to seek help.
Remind them that the sun will rise again.
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