Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Despite the Distancing, Making a Connection This Holiday Could Save a Life
gvw_calmatters
By CalMatters
Published 4 years ago on
November 26, 2020

Share

The holidays are here, and it’s time to put out an SOS. Much like the signal transmitted by a ship in distress, this SOS is a call to action, a request for help:

Ashley Mills

Special to CalMatters

Start a conversation.

Offer a connection.

Save a life.

The 2020 holiday season will be unlike any other. We won’t be spending much, if any, time with loved ones beyond our immediate household. We won’t enjoy the freedom to dine inside our favorite restaurants or crowd store aisles in search of Black Friday deals.

But the pandemic, as dreadful as it is, gives us opportunities to do things we might not otherwise consider. Without all the travel, and with less time spent visiting face-to-face, why not invest time in connecting with people through a phone call or FaceTime?

Such connections are more important than ever this year. People are lonely. People are anxious. People are unemployed, overloaded, weary of home-schooling their kids, fearful of becoming ill and worried about what lies ahead. It’s been a stressful year for all of us, and for some it adds up to a recipe for despair – and potential suicide.

While the threat is real, you can make a difference. The holidays are the perfect time to reach out to family and friends, especially those who may be alone, hard hit by the pandemic, or vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

Start a conversation, and when you do, listen for warning signs of possible suicide risk. Is your friend or relative communicating feelings of guilt or shame, of hopelessness, of being a burden to others, of not seeing a reason to live? Is he or she depressed, or unusually irritable, or feeling anxious and isolated? Is there talk of giving away possessions, or evidence of increased use of alcohol or drugs? Is there a mention of suicidal thoughts, or even an actual plan?

Offer a connection. Sometimes just the chance to express feelings, to say them out loud to someone else, can reduce a person’s risk of suicide. You can provide that outlet, and then help expand the conversation by asking a few key questions if you sense warning signs: “Do you feel like you don’t want to go on living?” “Are you thinking about killing yourself?” Depending on the answer, you can continue the dialog by exploring whether there’s a plan for suicide, an intent to act on that plan, and any steps that may already be underway.

Save a life. Expressing compassion to those in distress is key to helping someone at risk of suicide, and help is available. Confidential support can be found at any time through the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or by texting TALK to 741741. This resource is not just for those in crisis; it’s there to help people on the supportive end of the relationship as well. Once you’ve connected your loved one to a crisis line, be sure to follow up with calls or texts. They serve as a powerful reminder that you care.

As we experience the holidays in the time of COVID-19, have a happy holiday season and let’s keep the most vulnerable among us in our hearts. Let’s also remember that suicide is preventable. Listen for the signs of distress and respond with your own SOS. You can save a life.

About the Author 

Ashley Mills was the project manager for “Striving for Zero: California’s Strategic Plan for Suicide Prevention,” and she is coordinating the plan’s implementation. She wrote this for CalMatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s Capitol works and why it matters.

[activecampaign form=19]

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Pope Francis, First Latin American Pontiff, Dies on Easter Monday

DON'T MISS

Chargers in Need of Help at Wide Receiver and Tight End in the NFL Draft

DON'T MISS

Magic Happens When Kids and Adults Learn to Swim. Tragedy Can Strike if They Don’t.

DON'T MISS

Big Fresno Fair Board Will Be Led by an American Sikh for 1st Time

DON'T MISS

AI ‘Friend’ for Public School Students Falls Flat

DON'T MISS

Is a ‘Friend-Apist’ What We Really Want From Therapy?

DON'T MISS

Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Report US Strikes in the Capital and a Coastal City

DON'T MISS

Progressive Icon and Ex-US Rep. Barbara Lee Wins Race for Mayor of Oakland

DON'T MISS

Humanoid Robots Run a Chinese Half-Marathon Alongside Human Competitors

DON'T MISS

Bakersfield Push to Restore Kern River Seeks to Revitalize City

UP NEXT

Chargers in Need of Help at Wide Receiver and Tight End in the NFL Draft

UP NEXT

Magic Happens When Kids and Adults Learn to Swim. Tragedy Can Strike if They Don’t.

UP NEXT

AI ‘Friend’ for Public School Students Falls Flat

UP NEXT

Is a ‘Friend-Apist’ What We Really Want From Therapy?

UP NEXT

Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Report US Strikes in the Capital and a Coastal City

UP NEXT

Progressive Icon and Ex-US Rep. Barbara Lee Wins Race for Mayor of Oakland

UP NEXT

Humanoid Robots Run a Chinese Half-Marathon Alongside Human Competitors

UP NEXT

Bakersfield Push to Restore Kern River Seeks to Revitalize City

UP NEXT

Anti-Trump Protesters Turn Out to Rallies Across Country

UP NEXT

Universal Studios Fan Fest 2025 to Feature Immersive D&D Attraction and More

Big Fresno Fair Board Will Be Led by an American Sikh for 1st Time

23 hours ago

AI ‘Friend’ for Public School Students Falls Flat

24 hours ago

Is a ‘Friend-Apist’ What We Really Want From Therapy?

24 hours ago

Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Report US Strikes in the Capital and a Coastal City

2 days ago

Progressive Icon and Ex-US Rep. Barbara Lee Wins Race for Mayor of Oakland

2 days ago

Humanoid Robots Run a Chinese Half-Marathon Alongside Human Competitors

2 days ago

Bakersfield Push to Restore Kern River Seeks to Revitalize City

2 days ago

Anti-Trump Protesters Turn Out to Rallies Across Country

2 days ago

Universal Studios Fan Fest 2025 to Feature Immersive D&D Attraction and More

2 days ago

Thousands Gather in London for Trans Rights Following UK Ruling Over Definition of Woman

2 days ago

Pope Francis, First Latin American Pontiff, Dies on Easter Monday

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said on Monday, en...

52 minutes ago

FILE PHOTO: Newly elected Pope Francis appears at the window of his future private apartment to bless the faithful, gathered below in St. Peter's Square, during the Sunday Angelus prayer at the Vatican March 17, 2013. REUTERS/Tony Gentile/File Photo
52 minutes ago

Pope Francis, First Latin American Pontiff, Dies on Easter Monday

23 hours ago

Chargers in Need of Help at Wide Receiver and Tight End in the NFL Draft

23 hours ago

Magic Happens When Kids and Adults Learn to Swim. Tragedy Can Strike if They Don’t.

23 hours ago

Big Fresno Fair Board Will Be Led by an American Sikh for 1st Time

24 hours ago

AI ‘Friend’ for Public School Students Falls Flat

24 hours ago

Is a ‘Friend-Apist’ What We Really Want From Therapy?

2 days ago

Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Report US Strikes in the Capital and a Coastal City

2 days ago

Progressive Icon and Ex-US Rep. Barbara Lee Wins Race for Mayor of Oakland

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend