What is your message to someone who is thinking about suicide?
It is completely understandable that your pain feels overwhelming and irreparable. Despite these feelings, there are numerous ways to cope with thoughts of suicide and hopefully overcome the pain. No matter what you’re going through, you are never alone - there are many people who are ready and willing to help you every step of the way whenever you need support.
What would you tell someone who is feeling unsure about seeking support?
What you’re feeling is completely valid, and it’s okay if you’re not ready yet to seek support. Whenever you’re ready, multiple resources from the Student Counselling Centre – including individual counselling and group therapy – as well as other options on campus and in the community are always available to help you work through whatever you’re experiencing!
Why did you want to become a Care Champion?
Suicide prevention matters to me because with the right support mechanisms in place, a person who is experiencing thoughts of suicide can find help and healing. Although it’s not an easy task to reach out and seek support, accessing resources and treatment can bring hope for overcoming this difficult time. Regardless of the circumstances, everyone is deserving of getting the support they need.
How do you cope when things get tough?
When faced with stressful situations or experience, I enjoy reaching out to support systems around me, which is why my favourite coping strategy is to seek the support of those close to me. This often includes calling my friends or proposing a small get-together for some snacks! Depending on whether or not my friends are emotionally available to be a listening ear to what is on my mind my friends and I may choose to talk about what I’m feeling/experiencing, or talk about a completely random topic, which allows me to be cognisant of the mental health of those around me too.
This strategy allows me to practice healthy coping in a way that doesn’t internalize feelings of stress, frustration, or despair. When talking to a friend regarding a stressful event I’m experiencing, it can be helpful to not only have someone who can make you feel like your emotions are being heard out, but additionally a friend may be able to provide further ideas for how to cope with your stressor in a healthy manner. Even talking to a friend to ask them how their day is going can be relaxing, as it gives me a chance to focus my attention away from my stressful circumstances, allow myself to cool down and collect my thoughts, and potentially revisit my situation at a later time when I am ready and in a better headspace.
What gives you hope?
When going through especially difficult times, something that gives me hope is knowing that through the right supports and resources, healing and recovering is possible. Although it may take some time, serious effort in utilizing resources (such as therapy, internal reflection, diving into wellness literature, and more), and bravery to seek supports in the first place – taking these actions may improve how I’m feeling and what I’m going through. Additionally, knowing that supports are here to help me make my wellbeing a priority makes it easier to reassure myself that I am not alone in what I’m going through.
Jasleen Dayal (she/her)
Project Director, Student Mental Health Strategy, Office of Student Experience
5th year student, Law and Politics, Department of Political Science