September is National Suicide Prevention Month, so we are highlighting the 5 Steps for helping someone struggling with suicidal ideation. These 5 steps make up National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s #BeThe1To campaign. Today we’ll discuss how to Follow Up with someone that you helped through a tough time. This year the organization has added a special emphasis on how to Follow Up even if you are physical distancing.
FOLLOW UP
Following up provides the person with a further feeling of connectedness. Similar to the principles of ‘be there’ during physical distancing, setting aside a time and date that you will follow up can provide something to look forward to and sends the message that you care. Be sure to clear your calendar of all distractions for the time. Never underestimate the value of showing up.
How can we cultivate the habit of following up? Could we set aside Sunday or another day as our check in day? Could we tie following up to another habit – maybe we check-in with a text every time we are folding laundry? Remember, you don’t have to do it alone – consider if other friends or family can help you build a circle of support around the person in need. Even if their crisis has passed, getting back to daily life can be a struggle. It’s so easy for those outside to move on to a new crisis and forget what happened last week! Let’s work together to build a culture of checking in on one another.
To see the other 5 steps of helping, click on this link (which is also the source of today’s post):
