when’s the last time you heard someone use that word? proactive. i mean it sounds like an old word that gramps like to use when he’s telling the youngin’s we are being to lazy…

“you need to be more PROACTIVE, son”

“the early bird catches the worm”

and other relevant sayings…

but today i realized how true that is. the majority of people in the nation, it seems, do need to be more proactive… and i don’t mean in such a way that promotes self because we have enough self promotion/people who operate with selfish motives in the world. what i do mean is, we need to educate ourselves on triggers of self-destructive behavior, suicidal tendencies, signs of depression and other mental illness, etc… and take preventative measures to put an end to it all.

not only do we need to do this as observers, but as people who experience these things as well. i think it is way too easy to just sit back and accept things as they are or sit back and settle as if this is a life we have to live, but it really isn’t so. why should people live with feeling unloved and unwanted, and why should people continue to act as if there aren’t others who feel this way?

today i also remembered that it is when we feel unloved, rejected, unwanted, undesired.. all other negative feelings under the sun that it is much more tempting to choose the path of self-destruction. to drink ourselves stupid, go get high, or even kill ourselves because it feels like we have nothing left to hope for. why be proactive when you feel like there is no reason to be?

but that’s the biggest lie anyone could ever feed into because that’s when we as either friends or family of someone in need or as the person in need needs to be the most active. depending on who you are it might be hard to show them love, but that’s when they need it the most. it might be hard to love yourself, but that is what keeps you alive. the hope for better tomorrows and knowing that you won’t always be where you are now… the faith and strength that comes with the struggle.. and the love that comes with finding out you aren’t alone and you ARE loved because of who you are, not in spite of it.

i guess the moral of the story is to be proactive. keep moving forward and pushing past obstacles and believe it will take you farther than you ever imagined, whether it be in your relationship with someone who struggles with mental illness or suicidal thoughts or whether you are currently trying to recover.