Before we can work towards finding solutions to suicide, it’s important to gain a deeper understanding of it. And one of the best ways we can do this is by sharing our stories and experiences with it.

For me, I experienced chronic suicidal ideation (recurring suicidal thoughts and feelings) from the age of 19, which affected me massively throughout my twenties.

So today, I wanted to discuss these experiences in a good amount of detail to give an inside view of what suicidality can feel like.

BIG, LOUD disclaimers apply here: if you are in emotional distress or feeling vulnerable, you may not want to listen since I will obviously be discussing suicidality in detail, including a brief discussion of the methods I considered.*

However… if you ARE feeling well enough to partake, I hope today’s episode will be insightful, and maybe even comforting if you have felt suicidal in the past.

In this episode, I’ll be discussing:

• my first-hand experiences with suicidal thoughts and feelings
• what prompted these feelings – possible contributing factors – and how these      thoughts manifested for me
• how I found a surprising level of comfort in thoughts of suicide
• some of the unhelpful methods I used to try and counteract my low mental health (including aimlessly driving across the UK)
• …and how hitting a rock bottom moment following a breakdown helped me start to learn how to look after myself

Thank you for being here – it really helps to expand and normalise the conversation around suicide.

Catch you next time,

Alice

*To learn more about how to talk about suicide responsibly, have a read of The Samartian’s guide here: 

COLLABORATORS

This episode is brought to you by Dark Coffee – development coaching to get your work and wellbeing working better together so you can feel like a badass in business.

Host: Alice Lyons from Dark Coffee

Music: ‘Solving Suicide’ by Steve Leggett 

Podcast editing: Steve Leggett

If you have any questions or would like to give us any feedback, you can email Alice at talk@darkcoffee.co.uk

To apply to be on the show, just fill in this form. 

RESOURCES

Suicide Support Organisations (UK)

Samaritans: Confidential suicide discussion and support. Free helpline available round the clock. Text - 116123. Call - 08457 909090 Email -  jo@samaritans.org. Website - www.samaritans.org

Mind: Support and information for anyone suffering from a mental health problem. 0300 123 3393 Website - Mind.org.uk

Saneline: Practical information, crisis care and emotional support to people affected by mental health concerns. Helpline: 0845 767 8000, open daily from 6pm – 11pm.