#Hold On To Hope

[harmonyhealinghub]

Finding Hope When Darkness Looms: Coping Strategies During Suicidal Thoughts

Shaina Tranquilino

December 19, 2023

Suicidal thoughts are distressing and overwhelming, and it is essential to acknowledge that help is available. This blog post aims to provide guidance and support for individuals who may be experiencing this deep emotional pain. Remember, you are not alone in your struggle, and there is hope.

1. Reach Out for Support: In times of desperation, it's crucial to lean on the people who care about you most. Share your feelings with a trusted friend, family member, or professional counsellor. Reaching out may feel daunting, but remember that genuine support can make all the difference.

2. Seek Professional Help: Professional mental health services play a vital role in helping individuals navigate through suicidal thoughts. A therapist or psychiatrist can provide an objective perspective while offering effective coping strategies tailored to your needs. If necessary, consider contacting a crisis hotline immediately.

3. Create a Safety Plan: Developing a safety plan involves outlining steps to take during moments of intense despair. Identify activities or distractions that bring comfort when things get tough – such as listening to music, reading a book, or engaging in hobbies. List emergency contacts and create an accessible space where you can turn when negative thoughts become unbearable.

4. Avoid Isolation: During challenging times, isolation often exacerbates negative emotions. Surround yourself with supportive friends or join local community organizations where you can meet like-minded individuals facing similar struggles. Connecting with others not only helps alleviate loneliness but also offers opportunities for shared experiences and understanding.

5. Engage in Self-Care Activities: Prioritize self-care by engaging in activities that promote physical and mental well-being. Regular exercise has been proven to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety while releasing endorphins – natural mood enhancers. Additionally, practicing mindfulness techniques like deep breathing exercises or meditation can help calm racing thoughts.

6. Challenge Negative Thoughts: Negative thoughts can be incredibly powerful, but it is important to remember that they are not always accurate reflections of reality. Challenge these destructive thoughts by questioning their validity and looking for evidence to the contrary. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques can assist in reframing negative thinking patterns.

7. Establish a Support Network: Building a support network involves fostering connections with understanding individuals who genuinely care about your well-being. Surround yourself with people who uplift and inspire you – friends, family members, or even online communities. Sharing your journey with others who have overcome similar challenges may provide valuable insights.

8. Practice Gratitude: Developing an attitude of gratitude can help shift your focus from negativity towards positivity. Each day, make a conscious effort to identify three things you are grateful for, no matter how small they may seem. This practice cultivates a sense of appreciation and reminds us that hope exists even during dark times.

Remember, suicidal thoughts do not define you, nor do they dictate your future. Recovery requires time, effort, and patience. By reaching out for support, seeking professional help when necessary, practicing self-care activities, challenging negative thoughts, and cultivating gratitude, you can take steps toward healing and rediscovering hope in life once again. There is light at the end of this tunnel; hold on tightly and never lose sight of the strength within you.

[noniberri-blog]

Sometimes, this is what my depression feels like.

[ruporas]

your love returns in tragedy (ID in alt)

[lieu-rey]

first meeting

[hjarta]

i feel like i’m constantly relearning to love the world again after very painful experiences and grief but sometimes it’s as simple as stepping outside and seeing a flower with a bright yellow centre and thinking “oh, how stunning!” 

[jakeperalta]

the taylor swift ai porn issue is such a bleak reminder of how inescapable the horrors of misogyny are. like obviously there's the talk of sort of "celebrity problems" like treatment by the tabloids etc, but beyond that there's just the constant heinous shit that women seemingly cannot escape no matter what. it doesn't matter that she (as well as other female celebrities) is extremely rich and famous and successful and has basically as much privilege and power as it is possible for any person to have, ultimately that's still not enough to escape the revenge porn and sexual assault and stalking and harassment. like there is literally no level of power a woman can have that puts her out of reach of all the men who hate women and want to control and humiliate and subjugate us in any way they can.

[linipik]

"One day..."

(for the BBC Merlin Excalibur Zine)

[landsofmyth]

i was thinking “oh wouldn’t it be funny if buddy dawn also met helio, was supremely disappointed, and joined up with kristen and cassandra” and then i realised that he won’t do any of that. buddy dawn is not going to meet helio because buddy dawn is not his chosen one. buddy dawn was a teenage boy manipulated by his church since early childhood and now he is just a dead one.

[gojoed]

"oh my god satoru you look so cute here!"

"wait wait wait, don't look at those!"

you were currently holding a picture of satoru in your hands. it's nothing you haven't done before, going to the corner store and flipping through recently printed pictures of you and your friends after waiting a week for them to develop.

but this time you weren't holding snapshots of suguru having permanent marker on his face while sleeping or ridiculous photos of satoru and shoko grabbing onto each others hair, fighting over who gets to get the last snack from their stash. this time you held a photo of satoru, except younger. exponentially younger. as in, you just got your hands on a photo of satoru the moment he was born. literally.

like every other newborn he had that faint pink shade on his soft skin, button nose, and little hands that had the chubbiest of fingers. you swore you fell in love all over again with him.

the grown up version of the baby however did not feel the same. he didn't think a visit to his family's prestigious estate would lead to you seeing the one photo he would rather die than having any one of his friends see. he'd rather have you take a photo of him falling flat on his face on a pile of garbage actually.

how you came across that photo of him, he has no idea. you both were currently residing in his old bedroom, laid down on the old tatami mats that still smelled new. all he remembers is you getting up to look for something within the old cabinets of his room before you exclaimed about your recent discovery.

"oh there's more, lemme see."

"nononononono, no! you've already seen enough!"

satoru tried desperately to snatch the small box of photos that was now on the floor. seriously who put this here?? — maybe his mother heard of how he was bringing you along for the weekend and planted a little surprise for you to find. he was unsuccessful, again, as you seemed to be faster than the strongest now since the box was now sitting on your lap — the stack of photos now in your hands as you flipped through them one by one.

"you used to wear such cute things too! look at that, it's a little onesie with a duck pattern!"

satoru was now internally screaming, his ears blowing out steam now from embarrassment. they must be, since he could feel his face rise in temperature faster than ever, he might even be a new shade of scarlet now. he's resorted now to lying face first on the floor, burying his face in his arms trying to shield himself from your commentary.

he didn't budge when you poked him with your fingers, trying to show him photos of his even younger self. satoru won't deny it, he was cute as a baby. the cutest even (his ego was whispering that) — but to have you witness him in all his newborn glory? that was too much for him. now his image was shattered (the one he created in his head), you won't look at him the same anymore. you'll only think the words cute and adorable, and so on after this. no more comments on how hot he was, how undeniably attractive his smile was.

satoru gojo, was indefinitely, ruined.

that was at least his way of thinking. you were internally dying on the inside.

to think that at such a young age, satoru still held the most striking pair of eyes you've ever seen. even as a baby you could see that he held the heavens and even the depths of hell in them. you can see why many people whispered how his birth had changed everything in the jujutsu world.

but even so, you couldn't bring yourself to care about those old rumors. right now, you were focusing on just how cute he used to look, back when he was just a couple of pounds and was drowning in innocence that any baby had.

"hey satoru?"

"..mm?", well at least you got a reaction.

"who took these photos anyway?"

you had to wait a few seconds until you heard him shuffle, moving on all fours before sitting up and placing himself right next to you. the embarrassment had died down, just a bit. there was still evident pink on his neck, ears, and cheeks.

"it was mostly just my mom and the maids. they were the ones who always dressed me up too."

that made you smile, the image of a fussy satoru not wanting to put baby gloves on with a matching outfit — it was too good not to imagine. a few moments passed before satoru carefully snatched a handful of photos from you. you were about to protest when he began telling you the story behind each of them, or well, the ones he could remember.

maybe you seeing him like that wasn't so bad after all.

p.s., now he's totally gonna send some of these to the group chat. bet he was a cuter looking baby than suguru and shoko anyway.

[queerdraws]

projecting on luffy again. get bited.

[dakeus-art]

My take on the new cast!

[inktho]

I cant remembr, but have u ever drawn chilchuc wife? I kno its not rlly confirmed but I think she would look rlly pretty in yer style!!

I haven't drawn her before! here's a quick doodle of her...

[ravenxbones]

guns, guns, guns, huh? war, war…war…🪰

[mundaneandmagicalcreature]

Interview with the Vampire 1.05 A Vile Hunger For Your Hammering Heart || Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Official Trailer

[ultravioletlesbian]

[ Image ID: two tweets from Hind Khoudary @Hind_Gaza dated October 28, 2023.

tweet one: “Internet connection is restored in Gaza. I am currently tweeting from wifi.”

tweet two: “But we still need to have a backup - we never know it may occur again.”

End image ID. ]

Hind Khoudary is a Palestinian journalist based in Gaza. She previously was given an e-sim (a digital SIM card) and is planning to give others e-sims sent from people outside Gaza, now as a backup.

[guardian-of-soho]

Aziraphale is a guardian.

We left him at the end of s1 with the knowledge that apocalypse was still coming. He'd saved the world for that day, but Heaven was still bent on destroying it. The ones with the power to burn everything were still inescapably loveless. It really looked like he and Crowley alone of all the Earth-walking beings would fight for the world.

And he loves the world so much. The opening scenes of him in the record shop, buying his Shostakovich 78s? The warmth toward Maggie and her music and her heart? The generosity, and the delight in the shared understanding, and the pleasure in the discovery that he could make her life better? That he could spare her pain, give her a little more time with her joys? He knows how fragile those are.

He wants to give that to the whole world.

He wants to believe he can lift the doom hanging over them all, banish it permanently. He is desperate to believe it. Even if he wasn't longing so fervently to be seen, approved, affirmed by God's word (I was so undone by his jealousy as he watched Job speak to her) -- even without that I can't imagine him not wavering at Heaven's offer, faced with the chance that he could use all Heaven's might to guard the world again and get it right this time.

And then he's offered that power with apparent warmth, and feigned approval, and the shameless claim that at last they understand. They hear what he's been trying desperately to tell them as long as he's lived in the world. They're telling him that he's finally made his point -- that they are proud he's tried so hard for so long.

So -- the ending is shattering. It is maddening. It's utterly unfair on Crowley. And I didn't see it coming, and yet.

Aziraphale is a guardian. He really will have to see for himself that power won't love what's good; there is no way to make the world safe forever.