8 Minutes Can Make the Difference

Hello to all of our friends, followers, contributors and family.

September is Suicide Prevention Month and while most of you know, we have lost 2 adult sons to suicide, my talks or contributions lean towards the effects suicide has had on my family, but today, I want to focus on the prevention side.

Very often those that are suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts reach out to those around them but most often we don’t recognize their silent suffering. They usually don’t display the urgency with their communications.

I heard a man speak one time, when dealing with suicide, 8 minutes can make the difference between life and death for someone so depressed they are in the crisis of taking their own lives. In that 8 minutes a conversation can reveal they need help from a friend or loved one to get them back from the darkness.

In that 8 minutes they may reach out through a call or more often these days, a text to someone.

How often do we see a text from someone and ignore it thinking I will answer later, I want to finish this email, or a call and we think, I am just too busy, I will call them back.

Honestly, we all have and it is always with honest intentions that we intend to get back to them.

Today’s electronics have positive and negative sides. One of the most significant negatives is those that are suffering are able to hide their sadness behind the texts. Their faces and body language isn’t available for us to read.

So, what is the solution?

I honestly can only think of one thing. We all need to rely less on our phones and make attempts to encourage face to face interaction. We should do this even if there isn’t a critical situation. None of us like to be ignored but in depression, it is much deeper.

I am not sure about you, but I miss seeing my friends and family so we need to put a lot more effort into keeping connected.

I challenge you to think about the 8 minutes I mentioned. If you are in a situation that you have to ignore a call or text, make a point to reach out before the 8 minutes. Even if it isn’t a crisis situation on the other line, it was intentional. God put you on that person’s heart for a reason. Hearing “Hey friend, I saw you called, do you want to meet up for a cup of coffee?” could make a significant difference in someone’s life.

We have some exciting things coming in the near future for Even One Less so continue to follow us, Like and Share us on Facebook.

God bless you

Debby Sifuentes