Why is suicide on the rise? We’ve all been really seeing this showing up more and more. That desperate answer to ending one's suffering in a split moment, overriding the ability to find inner peace or the will to get up and try again. To persevere for just a moment longer, to see what is around the bend, is proving to be too much for many people. The proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back is feeling more like a steel beam for many and it’s about time that we openly start to look at this and offer some compassionate understanding and useful information to help in crisis.

The rise of suicide in America is a real thing and if we don’t find a solution towards economic equality, understanding how our drugs and foods really affect our emotional state and the inability to create inner peace, it will continue to rise. Suicide now ranks in the top 10 leading causes of death in the USA with the greatest percentage rise being people between 45-54 years old. Though they are only really starting to do research behind the causes of suicide, there is more than sufficient evidence that economic strain (financial problems) is a major driving factor. This is huge especially with the ever growing gap of financial inequality that our nation has created. It is stated that most American’s are only one accident away from being homeless or two paychecks away from losing everything. That is a tremendous amount of stress on anyone!

Another factor around suicide in today's modern society is the copycat effect. When the news reports on a famous person committing suicide and if someone seeing that story identifies with them, whether it is from the same form of mental illness, physical alignments or they may have suffered from some form of simpatico and they are in a state of depression or overwhelm, it places death on the table as an option when they may not have even been initially toying with the idea. Because most of us are inundated with an unending stream of information from social media, news and TV, and when a story is hot it's being run 24/7 in all of these locations, repeatedly, it's hard to miss and more likely that we will see it multiple times. In the unfortunate streaming of a celebs suicide story, the more one is exposed to the resonance of that suicide and they have the above-mentioned factors, the greater the chance for that one tragedy to become an onslaught of useless deaths to occur. Take for instance Robin Williams, for four months after his death, the suicide rate went up 10%, according to CDC data. The copycat effect was in full gear as it was reported the rise was especially dramatic among middle-aged men. A study out of Columbia University showed that suicide by strangulation rose by 32%, compared to about 3% for other methods used. These are solid facts on the copycat effect. From an energetic standpoint, I can see this as morphing of fields of energy, where a person cannot decipher what they are experiencing as emotional despair different from the person they are connecting with who committed suicide. This becomes so strong, that the person's resonance aligns with the despair of the celebrity that committed suicide and it registers as their primary option too.

Another thing to realize around suicide is that most people who commit suicide don't leave a note. Only 25-30% leave a note. I believe the reason that this happens is that most suicide is an act of desperation in the moment.  If you really have to sit there and take the time to place yourself in the position of your family and friends that love you, the reality of how devastated they may be can override your moment of overwhelm and despair. I imagine there is a huge amount of suicide letters that have been started and stopped by the grace of care and concern for others along with the act of the suicide itself.

If you are struggling with thoughts and feelings that are bringing you to the point where you are considering suicide, please know you are not alone. You are not the only one in pain and that even though it may be hard to take it in, your life is worth something. Below I have listed useful information if you are struggling with suicidal thoughts (starting from the most severe point to more time allowing choices):

1. Breathe and make an agreement to give yourself a 5-minute pause from taking any action to harm yourself. The feelings of overwhelming despair are a chemical reaction in your body and if you can give yourself a little time they can subside. While you give yourself this chance reach out to talk with someone, even a moment of connection can give you enough time to quiet the urge and find your balance to take life-affirming forward action. Don’t want to talk to friends or family? No worries, you can call a suicide hotline (800-273-8255) or get to a doctor and talk about how you’re feeling (that will, of course, take more than 5 minutes). Don’t want to talk. We still have you covered! You can reach out for support via text by connecting on the Crisis Text Line simply text START to 741741 from anywhere in the US at any time about ANY crisis.
2. Listen to upbeat positive music that you know inspires you. And go get some sunlight! Listening to music that is in synch with your pain keeps cycling the chemical reaction in your brain to do another round of the depression, rage, etc.  And any time we force our bodies to keep cycling up, the harder it is to stop that pattern. Giving yourself a musical reset or allowing the light spectrum of the sun to permeate your skin helps shift this cycle.
3. Look at what is going on in your body. Our moods are greatly determined by what we are eating and the signal our guts send to our brains. I know they will be doing far more studies on this, however, a huge amount of depressive states are caused by this issue.
4. Look at what is going on in the stars. I’m not kidding on this one. What is going on astrologically has a huge effect on all of us. It’s great to be informed so that you are not a victim of what is happening you are educated on how best to take the opportunity being offered to heal and empower you in ways you may not have even thought of before.
5. Get involved. Many times we are in such a state of self-absorption that we wind up with a much distorted view of our reality. Living a full and happy life is a life that is involved in serving others. Getting involved in a movement that touches your heart gives great purpose to living and creates connections with others which is vital. We are hardwired to crave connection as a primary force for happiness.
6. Be wise about your finances. And if you are struggling, take realistic action towards supporting yourself through challenging times. If you need help, allow yourself to ask for it before it becomes dire. It is so important to follow your joy in how we want to create our professional lives. I love the old adage show me someone who loves what they do and I’ll show you a person that has never worked a day in their life. However, in the process of creating that for yourself, it is really great to be able to pay for a roof over your head and some food.
7. Is this mine? A simple yet profound question. Are you really depressed or are you resonating with something outside yourself? Remember that hardwiring for connection... See if it is you and if it is not then energetically step out of that resonance. It doesn’t belong to you, let it go!
8. Start a meditation practice. This is the best advice I can give as it will help you stay calm, clear and focused when you are in challenging times. It is a game changer for creating inner peace and reducing depression significantly.
9. This is the toughest one (easy to resonate with before or after these lessons yet during significantly more challenging). There are lessons to be learned from everything. It is up to us to take that lesson in and choose to make it a suffering experience or one that opens us up to learning to love at an even greater rate.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, I hope the above may help you shift enough to give life another chance. And though you may not know me on a personal level, if you are reading this I am praying for you, I am loving you. I have sent energy waves of love and compassion throughout this entire blog. Please know I am only one person connecting with you now that’s choosing to love you and if my heart is open to loving you, I guarantee there are many others out there that are too. Give yourself a chance to open and be loved, to try again, you are so worth it!

All Love,

Brook