The ManicaPost
Dr Mazvita Machinga
Mental Health
SUICIDE is a serious public health problem that can have long-lasting effects on individuals, families and communities.
The good news is that it is preventable.
Preventing suicide requires strategies at all levels of society.
World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is an awareness day observed on September 10 every year.
This is a very important day since it provides communities with information, commitment, action to prevent suicides.
Suicidal thoughts and actions often occur because someone feels like there is no way out of a current situation, no matter how brief the situation, they are frustrated and angry.
As long as their situation renders them helpless and hopeless, they may want to run away from the pain.
In these challenging times and Covid-19 era, we find people grappling with many things such as loss of jobs, income, property and deaths of loved ones etc.
Many people end up not knowing what to do, thereby wanting to give up their lives.
It is important to know that often people who attempt or contemplate suicide feel like they are unloved, useless, unwanted or needed by anyone.
They have tried, but no one seems to care or even know how to help them.
They may be feeling hopeless about the future or powerless, like nothing you do or say can change things.
They end up being frustrated, angry and devastated.
Some may be blaming themselves for things that have happened in their lives and they think it would be easier for others if they weren’t existing, or if they were to die.
Thus, they make plans of killing themselves.
What this means is that they want to run away from pain.
They are tired of being in distress and thus they have suicidal thoughts.
There are ways we can curb suicidal thoughts. One of them is learning how to deal with anger and frustration.
The following are some of the things that can help:
Focus on what you can control
There are many things in life we can’t control e.g., you can’t control if your grandmother gets cancer and passes away.
We can’t control what others think, say or do.
We can’t control what others think of us.
There are a lot of things we worry about and plan for, that we just don’t have any control over.
Instead of spending energy on these things, we can save energy and spend it where we have control and on things that matter most.
Remember, we can control our reactions to all the things we can’t control.
Letting go of control makes decisions so much easier.
Be honest with your feelings and reach out for help
Feel what you are feeling. Give yourself the space and permission to feel whatever emotions arise.
Name your feelings.
Recognise them, without judging yourself, without beating yourself up, without saying, “I shouldn’t be feeling this way.”
“Avoiding what feelings come up doesn’t make them go away, it just prolongs the suffering and the healing process.”
Find people you trust and confide in them.
Sometimes, when we are feeling out of control, we disconnect from loved ones. We isolate.
We withdraw.
However, this is precisely when we need someone who can be stable to help ground us back down.
Try to think things through, take a deep breath before reacting and give some emotional distance between what is upsetting you.
Remember, you are more than what you are feeling right now.
Anger can make you feel trapped, thereby becoming hopeless, so please find healthy ways of calming yourself down and managing the anger.
Get it all out
Keeping your feelings bottled up is what causes more pain and a sense of depression, so healthy venting is fine in order to release the pressure.
Manage your expectations
Remember you cannot change any one so be aware of feelings that stem from people or situations not meeting your standards.
Shift your mental framework so that you are not setting yourself up for disappointment.
Learning to love yourself, no matter what other people do or say.
You are special in God’s eyes.
Create a jar of gratitude and do not get stuck in dark places.
When events or situations in life go wrong, it is really easy for us to only bring our energy and attention to those problems and then we get stuck.
Ask for help when you feel overwhelmed and remember professional help is always available.
Let us protect life and prevent suicide. Create protective environments, create healthy connectedness.
Dr Mazvita Machinga is a qualified psychotherapist and mental health specialist who is based in Mutare.
For more help in counselling and psychotherapy please call toll free helpline 08080482 or 0771 754 519/ 0778 838410.
