While suicide is a very triggering topic, this message is too important not to share. As you may already know Jo’s uncle and 3 cousins committed suicide and both Chloe and Jo have had friends who have killed themselves.

When someone you love takes their life, the disturbing feeling can stay with you wishing you had done more. You wish you knew just how bad things had become. Plagued with the thoughts if only you knew how much pain your friend, your cousin, your uncle or your neighbour was truly in. And you wish they had had the strength to hold on.

This week the beautiful Sophie Gradon took her own life. It is crazy how someone so beautiful and appeared so happy can feel like there is no way out.You can have all the looks in the world, a wonderful family, job, money, and lots of friends. Her death exposes a powerful fact it doesn’t mean anything if your mental health is spiraling.

Mental illness is dishonest to you. Your rational mind becomes so worn out you believe you just can’t cope anymore but you can. You tell yourself that everyone will be better off without you, they won’t. Taking your life isn’t selfish it is the end of a long battle with mental illness.

You never know what someone is going through unless you ask them. And the thing we all need to know most in this world is that we matter to someone. Mental illness gets worse the more segregated you feel. The more segregated you feel, the harder it is to reach out. That’s why it is so important for us to check in with each other. You just don’t know what someone is going through unless you ask.

Everyone’s experience of suicidal feelings is unique to them. You might feel unable to cope with the enduring difficult feelings you are experiencing. You may feel less like you want to die and more like you cannot go on living the life you have.

These feelings may build over time or might change from moment to moment. And it’s common to not understand why you feel this way.

If this email triggers you there is something you can do connect with someone who you are worried about or haven’t spoken to in a while. Or if it is you that is struggling or feeling disengaged, you matter.

There are people who are there to help you get better. Pick up the phone and talk to someone.