Trigger Warning: Suicide
If you are joking about suicide as a coping method for your mental illness, then ignore everything in this article. Your way of coping is not an issue at all, but please tell someone that it is just a coping method because some people will become confused and possibly triggered from it. However, if you just joke about it to joke about it, then please stop. If you have been diagnosed with depression or have suicidal tendencies, please seek professional help and tell a trusted adult. You are wonderful and this world is so lucky to have you.
In today’s society, we have become accustomed to the threatening of committing suicide. It is common for a teenager to hear the words “I want to die” on a daily basis at school, home, or when hanging out with friends. While it seems like a “thing the kids say”, claiming you want to kill yourself isn’t something you should throw around lightly.
The terms “I want to kill myself” and “I want to die” have become the punchlines to jokes and the reactions to failed prospects. They are phrases that are tossed around like “I love you”. They provide false information and scare the people who actually care. When you say you want to die, how is anyone to know that you’re joking? How is anyone supposed to understand that they shouldn’t tell an adult?
We, as a generation, are hitting the lowest point of self-deprecation. We forget that our words have meaning and that what we say could actually trigger others. We don’t realize that there are people around us that have actually lost someone to suicide and that they don’t think we’re joking when we say we want to kill ourselves.
Truly think about how your life is going right now. Do you feel the need to die? Do you really never want to see another day again? Do you want to drift into whatever happens next? No music, no movies, books, friends, family, sunlight, grass, warm clothes, hot chocolate… Do you never want to see that again?
We normalize the want for death so much that when someone, who has repeatedly said “I want to die”, actually kills themselves, we are shocked. We believe it’s a joke every time, even though, one of signs to look for in suicidal people is joking about suicide.
As a generation, we need to stop standardizing suicide. Instead of saying you want to kill yourself, think of a healthy alternative. For example; since all of my problems are school related, I just say I’m going to drop out. If your problems are family related, say you’re going to work hard so you can get away from your family. If your problems are serious and personal, say you are going to better yourself so that you can get help.
If you actually want to die, seek professional help. Suicide is a very big deal and most of the people who have survived a suicide attempt say that their problem was fixable. Life is too pure and exhilarating. You have so much left to live for!
Don’t say you want to kill yourself unless you are asking for help. We need to be able to distinguish between who is seeking care and who is seeking laughs. This becomes hard when others are just looking for a punchline to a bad joke. Don’t give in to the sad teen with happy faces aesthetic, it won’t do anyone any good.
