Each year, during September, organisations around the world come together to raise awareness about suicide prevention. The stats on suicide are shocking. In 2020 alone, 12.2 million adults in the US seriously thought about suicide, with 3.2 million making a plan to commit suicide and 1.2 million actually attempting that plan. According to the CDC, for every suicide death there are 4 hospitalizations for suicide attempts, 8 emergency department visits relating to suicide, and as many as 27 self-reported suicide attempts. Males are 4 times more likely to commit suicide than females and almost 25% of high school students that identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual reported attempting suicide in the prior 12-month period.
Now, more than ever, it is important for everyone – people, organisations and leaders – to talk about suicide prevention. Recent studies have shown that reaching out to someone you are concerned about decreases the likelihood of them committing suicide. What are the signs to look out for? What can you do to improve your mental health and general outlook?
In this newsletter, we will use research to answer some of these questions.
Whilst there are some groups that experience a higher rate of suicide, all demographics are affected. The majority of people that have risk factors for suicide will not attempt suicide, and it is therefore quite difficult to tell who will act on suicidal thoughts. According to the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), the main risk factors for suicide are:
Stressful life events (such as losing a loved one, legal or financial trouble) and social stressors (such as shame, harassment, bullying, discrimination, or relationship trouble) may contribute to suicide risk, especially when compounded with other known factors.
Although risk factors are an important consideration, there are known warning signs that indicate a person may be at higher risk and require immediate attention. These include:
Studies have shown that directly asking people about suicidal thoughts and behaviors can be the best way to identify someone at risk for suicide, increasing the probability of being able to help that person or point them in the direction of someone better placed to provide much needed support.
Despite the merits of doing so, it is undoubtedly hard to ‘disconnect’ from social media and phone time. That’s why we implore you to join the Legendary Life No Phone Challenge for mental health awareness. Our community of like-minded people are putting our phones down together and being more intentional about how we interact with the digital world. The #LLNoPhoneChallenge can only be completed by those that commit to it, but the rewards are worth the effort. Legendary Life have provided all the tools and information necessary to complete the challenge, available here on our website, completely free of charge. Those that undertake the challenge vastly increase the probability of putting their phone down and improving their mental health.
Somewhat counterintuitively, ‘disconnecting’ from the digital world, is actually one of the best ways to ‘connect’ with the real world, and it is through ‘real world’ connections that we tap into the ancestral habits that have provided comfort, community and spiritual connectivity with each other, our world and even our galaxy, through the stars in the night’s sky, since the first humans.
Specifically, to complete the challenge you must do all the following for 66-days consistently and without pause:
There is a lot of fantastic information on our website that explains the rules and benefits in greater detail. Head over there now, join our community and feel inspired. CLICK HERE.
Give yourself the best chance of completing the Legendary Life No Phone Challenge by downloading the Legendary Life Phone App, featuring the ‘No Phone Challenge’ module. GOOGLE PLAY or APP STORE
Leave your phone in another room for at least 50% of your waking day. Do it for 3 days in a row and see how it impacts your real-world interactions, work and relaxation time.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”
Lao Tzu
With the support of our community and the free tools and information available here, join the Legendary Life No Phone Challenge. Remove the dependency you have on your mobile and re-connect with yourself, your loved ones and the world around you.
