Wearing my suicide prevention bracelet for my Dad today and to all others who have been affected.

In amongst all the other crazy national days we see on social media. Today I stand with those whose lives have been affected by suicide and mental illness, to bring attention to ‘World Suicide Prevention Day’. A day that may not be presented in sparkly memes on Facebook but a day that is extremely real and hits hard to thousands of families, worldwide every day.

In line with this years theme “Take a minute, change a life” , I encourage you today, to take the time out to send a text or a phone call to a friend, loved one and let them know you are there to listen and it’s always OK to talk.

A minute of your life could indefinitely change someone Else’s and you may never even know it.

Mental illness and suicide does not discriminate and each year claims thousands of lives, of both men and women. So to anyone who is struggling with mental health, questioning their purpose or just generally feeling overwhelmed by this intense journey we call life, I am here for you and here to listen.

Lastly, to those who I have met throughout my own personal journey of losing a loved one to suicide, we may have been brought together by this experience but we are united by hope. A hope that one day, we will acknowledge the power and strength we all have inside of us, to fight and take action against mental illness and provide the support to DE-stigmatize mental health and one day prevent suicide for good.

Laura xo

https://www.samaritans.org/