How Do I Get Someone To Listen To Me?

It is hard when you feel like no one is listening to you. We are glad that you are reaching out today through Your Life Your Voice. We are here to listen.

It sounds as though you are going through a difficult time and you did the right thing to reach out for help. We are concerned for your safety, as you indicated in your email that you are having suicidal thoughts. We are here to give you support. Having suicidal thoughts and saying that you want to end your life is a concern. We would like to know more about what is going on in your life that it is causing you to feel this way.

Please know that suicide is not the answer. Life can get pretty overwhelming at times, and it's normal to not want to keep feeling this way. Suicide might seem like the only option to get away from the pain, but the reality is, suicide doesn't make anything better. It takes away every opportunity for you to feel better and live your life to the fullest.

If you feel as though you are in imminent danger of acting on these thoughts, reach out for professional support immediately. This can be by calling 911 or calling us here on our 24 hour hotline at 1-800-448-3000.

When you are trying to tell adults in your life about your thoughts, it is important to be VERY direct. Don't say things like "I'm not feeling well" or "I'm sad," this does not help them understand the depth of your feelings. Instead use some of the wording that you used in your email to us. "I want to die and I would have already killed myself if i weren’t so afraid of how painful death is." or "I don’t know how to go on it all hurts too bad." Make it clear that you are having suicidal thoughts and ask them for support. "I need you to help me through this." or "I feel like I need to see a professional therapist." If you don't think that you can verbally make this conversation happen, print the email that you sent to us and show it to them.

Please check out these tips and tools to help you through this: bit.ly/ylyvSuicidalThoughts.

You are not alone any more. You have counselors ready and willing to help you, just pick up the phone.

We look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Take care and keep safe,

Nicole, Counselor.