Attempt Survivors

Practice self-care. Taking care of yourself is an important part of your journey. Your self-care activities can be anything that provides an outlet for stress, promotes wellbeing, and fosters your resilience. You can find some resources for coping tools here.

Talk to someone. Silence isn’t strength. Having a safe space to talk about your experience and your feelings can help you move forward. Lean on your support network or find a support network that will help you through this time. You can also reach out to the Lifeline for more support.

Connect to resources. Suicide attempt survivors and researchers who study suicide recommend counseling to help find long-term strategies to ease the emotional pain that led to your attempt. Find a therapist here. You can also read through the following resources for attempt survivors here.

Make a safety plan. Have a step-by-step plan ready for if/when you feel depressed, suicidal, or in crisis, so you can start at step one and continue through the steps until you feel safe.

When you are ready, talking about your own journey can help others who are coping with their own suicidal thoughts and emotions. The decision to share one’s lived experience with suicide may feel scary – especially the first time you share it. While the decision to share should not be taken lightly, your experiences do not need to fit into a perfect set of steps in order to be meaningful. If you are considering sharing your story, we recommend that you use this storytelling checklist to help you determine how to share your story safely and effectively – for yourself and others.

Be present and listen. Be an active part of your loved ones’ support systems and check in with them often. If they show any warning signs for suicide, be direct and ask them if they are thinking of suicide. Ask about their self-care and safety plan to support them. If possible, be a part of their safety plan. Listen to their story and their feelings without offering advice or judgment.

Practice empathy. Many attempt survivors report feeling guilt. You can help diminish their guilt. Let your loved one know that they have nothing to feel guilty about.

Show compassion. Let them know that they are still loved and that they are an important part of your life. Spend time with them, affirm them, and show affection. Learn more about actions you can take to help someone after a suicide attempt here.

Be a support and take care of yourself. Being a support for your loved one who attempted suicide can bring up your own feelings. The Lifeline is always here to talk or chat, both for crisis intervention and to support allies and family. Helping a loved one through a crisis is never easy. Seeking out your own support from your own safe people or counselor can be helpful.