We're all Superheroes, Heavy

Two weeks ago I watched a thought provoking documentary on gambling on RTE, last week I tuned in to the first episode of Des Bishops documentary Under the Influence, this week is Eating Disorders Awareness Week. I’ve previously blogged about the response to death by suicide, and strategies I think may help to prevent stem the tide.

 Perhaps there is a group of people who may provide a valuable insight into what needs to be done to help those in distress, those who find this life difficult to bare.  It has long been recognised that addictions, including eating disorders, are maladaptive coping strategies or forms of avoiding and escaping distress. In addition they tend to be extremely destructive behaviours, many which severely damage the health and well-being of individuals. In fact I have often heard certain addictions described as slow forms of suicide.

Perhaps these questions should be explored:

Why do those trapped in the destructive cycle of addiction need to escape?

Why do they have such low self-esteem, how was their sense of self-worth reduced to such a low level, what can be done to build up their self-belief and sense of self-worth?

What is causing this unbearable degree of distress?

How can they be supported to endure this distress without self-destructing?

It appears to me that there are those, most notably in the arts, who have managed to harness powerful emotions and distress and construct as opposed to destruct. The result being some amazing works of art or ground-breaking inventions. What was it that enabled them to channel and harness their distress?

How do we build and teach resilience and coping skills?

How can we prevent those we love, those we care about being exposed to unnecessary suffering?

Life is crap at times, we will encounter bullies, we will have to deal with heart break , loss and grief, we may be abandoned, traumatised it’s part of life an unwelcome , unwanted part of life but the life we live is volatile, unpredictable, uncertain. Nonetheless no one should be left to deal with these dark times completely alone, or feeling alone and misunderstood. It’s then that we as a country need to step up to the plate, provide the support, love, hope, and the courage and encouragement to live, but how?

I don’t expect you to have the answers to all or any of these questions, I certainly don’t  , but if you’re lonely , if you’re struggling, if you’re concerned about family or friends. I hope you remember You Matter, as do you’re views in fact You May have the much needed insights that this country needs to tackle the mounting problems of suicide and addiction.

What do you need? What could help? Call someone and let them know, ask for help. Have the courage to fight on.

In times of  distress everyone can be a  superhero, you can save lives, speaking out, offering insight , offering support, we all have a role to play.