Greetings everyone!
For National Suicide Prevention Awareness Week 2016, Dissipating Disparities, Inc. is joining the Nation in making it our business to do our part for Suicide Prevention Awareness. Some of you may know someone that has thought about suicide, attempted suicide or actually been successful in committing suicide. Some of you may not. Either way, we all have to do our part as humans to lookout and care for one another. For when someone does attempt or commit suicide, it does not only affect that individual but their families, friends, and often their community. If you see or hear something…say something. Who knows…a simple hug, smile, word of encouragement could have made a huge difference and saved someone’s life.
Having said all of that, I wanted to share the intimate story of a great friend and overall person, who I had no idea had once tried to take her own life. At the point in her life when I met her, I would have never thought she had a down or sad day in her life…she was just that awesome, funny, encouraging individual, but that’s just it…we never know. And at a time before I met her at a different point in her life, she tried to do just that…commit suicide.
Here is her story:
“I was in my early thirties. I had began dating a married man and gave him the power to manipulate and dominate my every move in my life. He was abusive in every possible way (sexually, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and financially). I stayed in that relationship for almost six years and I felt like a second class citizen and lost my confidence. I failed to realize and keep my worth or value as an individual and as a woman. I attempted suicide five years into relationship by taking a lot of Tylenol. It was really strange because not even after a few minutes of taking the pills, I began reaching out to individuals who really care for me and they convinced me to call the ambulance. I was required to see a psychologist and they made a suggestion of taking prescription to balance my mood swings. As I went to counseling session, they began to give me strategies to work through my circumstances and find my way to loving myself instead of punishing myself for going through with my divorce. I was told to write in a journal and I still do it every now and then today. I began to see how my choices caused me a lot of unnecessary anguish and fear for everyday living. I did not let go of the relationship with the married guy until he put a gun to my head and stated that he will kill me because I kept saying I did not want to be in this relationship anymore. The same day it happened, I went to a safe house and left all my belongings to heal and begin a new path. He fought me in court when I pursued to have a personal protection order against him for at least two years. I had to my change location because we worked at the same place. I had to literally change all my choices in order to become a healthier individual, even though I changed my situations, I still had to change my mindset and focus to really heal and become the person I am today. I am not a survivor but an overcomer who trusts GOD over all possible circumstances. Believe me, it is not easy to deal with life on a daily basis but even more so make rational decisions as opposed to emotional ones. We all have to find a mantra or trust in a higher power who will guide us if we allow it to do so. The biggest and hardest thing to do is to deal with situations in our mind more than the applicable concept of it.”
Thanks so much dear Chica for being open and willing to share your story! I do agree that you are an amazing Overcomer. Hoping your story can help to change the perspective and uplift the life of someone else.
DDI is doing our part to for suicide prevention…what about you??!!!
Carlisha 🙂
Greetings everyone!
