In times like this, when jobs are shut down and you’re shut inside your home and feeling shut out from the world, it’s easy to become so emotionally devastated that you consider desperate — and sometimes deadly — ways to deal with all that’s going on.
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Whether you’re a Trump supporter or not, and whether you think the decisions he’s making are right or not, he’s spot-on with his concerns about the economic downturn possibly triggering suicidal thoughts. “People get tremendous anxiety and depression and you have suicide over things like this, when you have a terrible economy, you have death,” ZeroHedge reports him as saying.
Trump’s concerns over people’s emotional and mental health are valid, and if you’re someone who’s been so adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic that you don’t where to turn or what to do, here are some ideas that may help.
Try the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) — To relieve anxiety and other challenging emotions brought on by news and uncertainty about this pandemic and/or self-quarantining, EFT is a noninvasive, go-to tool that you can do anywhere, anytime. EFT is a psychological acupressure technique that's based on the same energy meridians used in acupuncture. However, instead of stimulating the pathways with needles, EFT uses tapping with your fingertips along with voicing positive affirmations.
If you’re feeling emotionally empty and unendingly lonely — an epidemic in itself during these trying times — try incorporating new rituals of connection by tuning out social media communications and making it a point to use actual phone conversations and “facetime” connections if you have the technology to do that. If you’re feeling particularly anxious or suicidal, call a helpline and ask to talk with persons trained in online and phone aid.
Or, if you are a caretaker, friend or family member of someone you think might be so down and desperate that suicide might be a danger, learn the 12 warning signs of suicide:
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Feeling like a burden
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Being isolated
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Increased anxiety
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Feeling trapped or in unbearable pain
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Increased substance use
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Looking for a way to access lethal means
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Increased anger or rage
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Extreme mood swings
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Expressing hopelessness
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Sleeping too little or too much
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Talking or posting about wanting to die
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Making plans for suicide
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If you notice one or more of these signs, take the following five steps to help. For more information about how to prevent suicide, see bethe1to.com.
- Ask how they are feeling and if they are considering ending their life, or if they have a plan to do so
- Don't let them be alone and do your best to keep them safe
- Make yourself available to them
- Reach out to them daily and help them connect to others
- Follow up
If you live in the U.S. and are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text 741-741 for the Crisis Text Line.24 If you are in danger of acting on suicidal thoughts, call 911 for immediate assistance.