Thinking about not wanting to live any more…
Many of you may be familiar with thoughts that you are in over your head and don’t want to go on like this. But what if you can’t let go of these thoughts? You can find out more about this and why it is important to get support here.
For many, suicidal thoughts are a kind of last resort “in the mind”. Something like, if I don’t make it at all, then there is still this possibility. Often the thought serves as a relief without actually wanting to kill oneself. It can be an expression that one no longer wants to be in the current situation and/or there is an urgent desire to change the current circumstances of one’s life.
What does the word suicide mean?
Suicide comes from Latin and means the deliberate ending of one’s own life, i.e. killing oneself.
Suicidal thoughts are thoughts of wanting to kill oneself.
Thinking about suicide – what can that mean?
Thoughts that one no longer wants to live, for example, under the currently prevailing circumstances, do not necessarily have to be unpleasant – they can also have a “relief character”. This is not necessarily about actually wanting to be dead. It is perhaps initially an expression of the fact that one can no longer stand the situation as it is at the moment and no longer wants to. It is tangible that a change is urgently needed. If you feel the same way, please contact us. You are not alone; together we can discuss how this change can happen so that you feel better and want to live again.
There are things in life that can make you feel desperate. Some situations may seem hopeless and hopeless at first, second or third glance. Or a “solution” seems far away, hardly achievable. You may also have the feeling that the stressful situation is simply not changing for the better, no matter what you try. You just want to get away and not experience all these burdens any more.
Maybe you recognize yourself a little bit in these lines or feel addressed. You are not alone in this, many people experience moments that seem hopeless. Figuratively, you can perhaps compare it to feeling like you’re on the open sea. You are drifting around; clinging to a buoy, but your hold is not really stable. In addition, there seems to be no shore in sight or you don’t have enough strength to reach it. But you desperately want this saving shore, because there you could just let yourself fall and relax…
Stay clear!
The thought that you can’t stand the situation any longer doesn’t usually make you feel good. Nevertheless, it is important not to numb this feeling with alcohol or drugs. Only without the influence of substances can you stay clear and avoid taking rash, impulsive actions.
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Support is important!
In moments that feel similar to what I just described, confidants (such as someone from your family or your teachers, or of course a counselor) can be a kind of “anchor” that gives you support.
If you have the feeling that you “can’t see the wood for the trees”, you can feel constricted. You don’t have a clear view of the current situation, but your thoughts focus on everything negative at the moment, for example. It is precisely in such moments that you can “borrow” a view from outside. By turning to someone you trust, you can think together about ways to reach the shore of salvation.
In massively stressful and seemingly hopeless situations, one is extremely emotionally constricted. This leads to the fact that one cannot really assess the consequences of certain considerations and actions. Especially then, a kind of “anchor” from outside is really important.’
Possible causes of suicidal thoughts
Every person and every situation is special and complex. Therefore, it is not possible to pinpoint the causes of suicidal thoughts. Also, there is not just one reason, but several reasons that come together. Deep despair or a feeling of hopelessness, for example, can make people think about not wanting to live any more.
During puberty and even later, it is quite normal to think about the meaning of life and one’s purpose in it. Within development, from birth to death, there are different phases that everyone goes through and that represent a kind of crisis, such as adolescence.
During this time everything changes, physically but also in thinking. One is preoccupied with the meaning of life and also of dying. You are dissatisfied with everything and question things that were not an issue before. Perhaps you break away from your existing circle of friends or adopt a different style of life than before, etc. Despite all the stress, crisis phases can also be a trigger for reorientation and further development.
Experiencing terrible, traumatic events can also give those affected the feeling that they will never be able to endure or survive this stress. Or the fear arises that the thoughts and memories of the experience will never let go.
That these fears arise is absolutely understandable and completely normal! However, with support and distance from the traumatic experience, it is possible for the thoughts and memories of it to fade into the background to such an extent that there is room for beautiful situations again.
Traumas – injuries to the soul
Sometimes suicidal thoughts are also connected with the feeling of aggression directed against oneself. You may want to punish yourself for something, take out your anger on yourself or “make yourself go away”. If you are feeling similar right now, don’t be shy and get in touch. Talking is one way to release that anger. If you don’t like talking about these feelings, we can work out together how else you can deal with them.
There are also mental health problems and illnesses that can prevent you from finding ways out of stressful situations. Mental illnesses are easily treatable, but just like physical illnesses, it is important to seek medical help.
For further help and support — Speak with a licensed therapist today.