A meditation on living with existential dread (Photo credit: Mario Azzi) Death doesn’t make me as anxious as life—and living—does. And I know I can’t be the only one. Right? Right? I don’t know for sure if that’s something everyone feels. Like, I’m sure there are those who know of what I speak, but I’m not …
Continue reading “Can we all just admit life gets tiresome?”
A tribute to the man who gave me a soundtrack for a difficult time. When I heard, yesterday, of Chester Bennington’s passing, I felt a hollowness within. Linkin Park’s music (especially their debut Hybrid Theory album) helped define a major inflection point in my life and growth. I’ve struggled with existential questions since childhood, and …
You May Not Like The Answer To This… Short answer: you’re asking the wrong question.For the long answer, keep reading.See, I get this question a lot. And most especially after reports of suicide in the media, like now, in the wake of the recent suicide in by a medical doctor in Lagos, Nigeria. And even though I …
Continue reading “Is suicide an act of bravery or cowardice?”
In honour of Verishima Unokyur, who died by suicide, and the family who survive him And so you were taken,right at the start of the year,you came to the end of your years. Your own are left forsaken,burdened hence with this permanentquestion mark in their lives’ sentence. Yet, were you truly taken,or, did you take yourself, as …
Every time the subject of suicide comes up in a conversation (usually because there’s one in the media or at times like the recent World Suicide Prevention Day, someone is sure to ask me why we should worry about suicide, and if it’s really such a big deal. (And yes, this has been known to happen even when the …
Continue reading “If you think suicide isn’t that common, you’re dead wrong. Here’s why.”
This post is in honour of World Suicide Prevention Day — September 10 every year — and the theme this year is, “Connect. Communicate. Care.” Connect. Communicate. Care. Three words that capture three key concepts in suicide prevention. And when you think about it, what they all have in common is that they’re things we can do for …
Continue reading “Do you too believe these 8 misconceptions about suicide?”
The Mental Health Angle I wrote recently on Dr Hestia Thomas, who passed on a few weeks ago, in sudden and unusual circumstances. My thrust in that post (link below) was the danger of trial by social media. But another danger worries me: our unwittingly dangerous attitudes to mental health issues. First, though, I think it’s …
This is my second post in a short series on suicide. You’ll find a link to the first one at the end of this post. There are 2 groups of people here. – Those who are personally struggling with suicide, whether they’ve made an attempt, or not. – Those whose friends or relatives actually completed …
Continue reading “Still on suicide: what you can do if it’s you, and how you can help if it’s not”
Did you know World Suicide Prevention Day was 5 days ago? No? Well, now you do. It’s September 10 every year, and in commemoration of this year’s WSPD, this post and my next few posts will be a short series on suicide. Where were you when you heard of the death of Robin Williams’ a …
Continue reading “Ever wondered why people “commit” suicide?”