R U OK Day

September 15th is R U OK Day

I encourage everyone to take a look around and ask, R U OK?

[image]

Unfortunately suicide is familiar to me and my family.  

As a teenager I had two of my uncles take their own lives.  The impact was huge on all of us.  They left behind people who cared about them, loved them unconditionally, and needed them.

Somedays, when I'm angry, I think they were just plain selfish, but then most of the time, when I really think about it, I can accept that they just had a weight on their shoulders they couldn't bare.

Recently I had someone very dear to me also attempt to take their own life.  I was at Playgroup on an ordinary Thursday morning, surrounded by children under 5 and their mums, when I got a call.  Someone on the other end frantically screaming at me, telling me that something was wrong, that I had to fix it, that I had to get to the other person who'd attempted suicide.  I had to try and save them.

The pressure was great, huge, too much for me to handle in the middle of the community centre.  I didn't know where she was, how was I going to get to her?

Thankfully her attempt was not successful, thankfully she had support in her workplace and when she did not come to work and they spoke to her to make sure 'she was OK' they realised she was not and they intervened, and as for the rest of that story, well, it's not my story to tell.

But this last year has taught me a lot of things.  We all handle pressure differently.  Some are better at handling situations than others, and that is OK.  Nothing is too much to handle providing you have support from your loved ones. Those that love you are willing to help share the load.

So as a loved one, trust me when I say, it's important to ask 'R U OK'  and if the answer is yes, but you are not certain, ask again, let that person know you want to bare some of their burdens.

I'm getting together with other bloggers such as Gemma from My Big Nutshell and Madam Bipolar to build awareness about this day.  I encourage you to spread the word, you can also make a donation via the R U OK Website.

But most importantly don't walk around with your eyes shut, look what is happening around you, and ask R U OK?

If you are in need of help visit the website for a list of great resources, they are there to help you.


Mandy

Disclosure:  I sought permission from the person mentioned in this blog post before publishing.  I am grateful that they want to help create awareness.