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Suicidal Thoughts And Depression: How Can I Find Help? - Martha Beck

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Suicidal Thoughts And Depression: How Can I Find Help? - Martha Beck
Suicidal Thoughts And Depression: How Can I Find Help? - Martha Beck
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Martha Beck shares how you can find help for suicidal thoughts and depression.

Martha Beck:
Suicidal thoughts and depression – how to heal a wounded emotional compass?

First of all if you are having suicidal thoughts or deep depression please, please don’t think you have to get out of it alone.

Isolation is one of the most difficult aspects of any mental health issue, and if you are feeling that bad please swallow your pride, get over your fears, and please get help.

There are people who are trained to help you. There are medications that can help you temporarily.

People sometimes resist these things; they say, I don’t want a crutch like a therapist or an antidepressant.

Well if you broke your leg and the doctor said here are some crutches, would you insist that you should go on without a cast or without leaning on something for a while, while your leg heals?

We know that emotions can be damaged like bones and that they do heal if they are treated well. So first and foremost, don’t try to do this alone.

Secondly, relax and don’t try to force yourself not to feel what you are feeling. Nothing changes for the better until it becomes what it is.

So acknowledge that you are not feeling great. Allow yourself to experience that in the presence of a compassionate witness.

They say that the unit of biological survival for a human is one percent but the unit of psychological survival is two.

You must have at least one compassionate witness to all your feelings in order to heal from wounds. So get that, keep looking. Find the right person. You can. You must. Please do.

About Martha Beck:
Martha Beck, Ph.D., is a writer and life coach who specializes in helping people design satisfying and meaningful life experiences. She holds a bachelor's degree in East Asian Studies and master's and Ph.D. degrees in sociology, all from Harvard University. She has published academic books and articles on a variety of social science and business topics.

Her non-academic books include the New York Times bestsellers “Expecting Adam” and “Leaving the Saints,” as well as “Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live” and her newest book, “Steering by Starlight.” Dr. Beck has also been a contributing editor for many popular magazines, including Real Simple and Redbook, and is currently a columnist for O, the Oprah Magazine.

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