I was reading an article on Donald Miller’s Storyline Blog, as I apparently do every morning now, and I read this last quote:

“To live full lives we must rely on others and others must be able to rely on us. Depending on others can be messy and scary – they will let us down. Yet, building walls to protect ourselves from the rough edges of community condemns us to a life of lonely rugged individualism.

What would happen if we admitted that we cannot do it all – that we cannot be our own harmony? Instead of playing every instrument, what if we learned to play the instrument of our lives with excellence and relied on other people to play theirs?”

Full article: http://storylineblog.com/2013/09/13/a-message-for-those-who-try-to-do-it-all/?utm_source=buffer&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_content=bufferdd03d&utm_medium=facebook

The article basically says if you are someone who tries to do it all, don’t. There are benefits to letting others in and allowing them to carry their weight.

But then a thought came to my mind and I realized how true that ISN’T when it comes to mental health and suicide prevention. The stigma is SO ridiculous that it forces people to deal with and do everything on their own. When people who suffer from mental illness/mood disorders/suicidal thoughts reach out in their communities, people tend to run from them and then have the audacity to wonder why those people suffering would ever consider suicide as an option.

I always say in my posts that there is help, then throw out a resource with the hope that MAYBE someone will click the link and use one of the numbers on the Get Help page… but now I want to switch it up and issue a call to action to those who have a huge platform and the ability to make time for and GO AFTER someone who feels alone. I honestly believe this is a good 157 times more effective than placing the burden on someone might already have more than they can carry.

For example, every now and then I get depressive episodes and some things effect me more than they should. I have a friend that knows that, and even if I don’t tell that friend I feel like I’m losing it they will take time out of their busy schedule and make a phone call… that phone call can EASILY make my day (BTW If they need me to listen/uplift them, I do the same thing). It could be something that simple yet for some ungodly reason people refuse to make time for people in need.

So imagine if my friend, who is not a mental health advocate or head of an organization that claims to stamp out stigma, can have THAT MUCH of an impact on me when she takes the time to get personal then the sky is the limit for those in the field if they were to do the same.

GO AFTER PEOPLE. THEY NEED YOU.