Recognizing what triggers suicidal thoughts

Do you know what breaks my heart? It is waking up to the news coverage that another man has taken his own life. Why does it break my hurt? My assumption is that in the forefront of his mind, suicide was his only solution to end the hurt and to escape a lifetime of pain. I realize male suicide is a heavy topic which a lot of people find uncomfortable talking about. My friend, it is time we face the elephant in the room , muster up the courage and address the issue of our losing our men to suicide head-on. By talking about it, by bringing this into the open, we can work towards erasing the stigma and shame and save lives. My heart’s desire is for men to to realize that suicide is not the only solution to escape the inward pain they are feeling. There is hope. There is a way out which keeps you safe. I have said this in my previous blogs and will say it again that a “ a life is worth living and a life is also worth saving”. I have committed to use these daily blogs as a platform to inspire hope, save lives and to encourage male help-seeking behavior.

In this Giving Life a Second Chance series, I have shared key tools and techniques that you can apply to your life if you are feeling suicidal today. The first technique was the creation of a safety plan, the second technique was application of the 2 Corinthians 10 principle which is about transforming our lives by the renewing of our minds. Today, I wish to explore the concept of recognizing the triggers to suicidal thoughts. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a trigger is something that causes someone to feel upset, and frightened, because they are made to remember something bad, that has happened in the past. This strong emotional reaction may present itself as fear, shock, anger, and worry. You may find that there are a variety of things which preceded the suicidal thought, namely personal situations, events, feelings, moods, thoughts and behaviors. Becoming aware of the triggers, is an important element of staying safe. Recalling them in a safe and structured way is also important. The key is to identify the triggering thought and to find an alternative positive thought. An example trigger thought would be ‘there is no reason for me to exist’. This trigger thought can be countered by saying “God knows the plans that he has for me, plans to prosper me and not to harm me, God’s plans are to give me hope and a future’. Another example of a trigger thought may be “I am unattractive” — this thought can be countered with the truth that “you are fearfully, beautifully and wonderfully made”. “You are a world-class master-piece”. The key is to come up with the positive thoughts. My hope for this blog is to come alongside you to encourage you with positive thoughts, inspire you to move forward, to say to you that you matter, that you have purpose, that we need you and that you are loved. The most important key is for you to come up with the positive thoughts yourself, as it is more likely that you will believe the thoughts that you generate. Recognizing triggers can help us to anticipate when we need additional help.

When you notice your mood worsening, or thoughts of suicide occurring, reflect on and answer the following seven questions to help identify your triggers.

1. Was there a situation or event which led to your thoughts of suicide?
2. What were you experiencing when these thoughts occurred?
3. What feelings did you have?
4. Did you experience any negative thoughts? What were they?
5. Were you able to discover any ways to counteract those thoughts? What were they?
6. List the coping skills you applied to take your mind off of your suicidal thoughts.
7. How effective was the coping skill you used? Did it help in decreasing your thoughts of suicide?

I wanted to offer you this tool because recognizing what caused these emotions and finding other ways to cope with them, can help keep your suicidal thoughts from escalating into suicidal actions. I encourage you to use this trigger log to record any thoughts of suicide you have had, what triggered these thoughts and how you coped with them.

I hope you found this blog helpful. You matter. Stay safe and take care.