When Lauren Watson was 24 years old, she thought she wanted to take her own life.
She says grief and a “toxic” relationship after she had her daughter Codie at 16 left her struggling with her #mentalhealth.
“I didn’t even feel like a human being,” Lauren tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.
“I felt like I was a shell, and someone had taken my soul and all of my organs out of me. I felt nothing. I didn’t even feel like a person anymore.”
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
When Lauren attempted to kill herself in August 2018, she survived.
But others don’t. New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that across England and Wales, the number of #women taking their own lives in 2019 was at its highest since 2004.
Deaths of those in the age group 10 to 24 increased from 81 in 2012 to 159 last year.
“That figure doesn’t surprise me at all,” Lauren says.
During lockdown, she and her friends went to local #suicide spots and left notes with kind words on them.
“We received a lot of messages from doing that, it made me realize a lot more people are suffering than we know.
“People that I knew personally, and never would’ve thought were having a hard time, were reaching out to say thank you.”
‘Nobody knew I was suffering’
Lauren says when she was at her lowest, she worried that opening up would make her look like she was “attention seeking”.
“I felt like nobody would take me seriously, they’d just think I was having a bad day.
Of the 5,691 people who took their own lives in England and Wales last year, about three quarters were #men.
The figures also show the #suicide rate for #men is at its highest for two decades.
Throughout the #pandemic, a number of charities have warned about the impact on #mentalhealth of added #stress, with jobs and incomes up in the air, coupled with less socializing or being outdoors.
There has also been a significant rise in the number of #LGBTQ people seeking #suicideprevention support during the UK’s lockdown.
Emma Carrington is a manager at Rethink, a charity that advises people who are feeling suicidal or struggling with #mentalillness.
She says although it’s important not to speculate about the reasons behind #suicide rates, they have noticed more people calling for emotional support and advice about feeling lonely during lockdown.
Two years on from Lauren’s lowest point, she couldn’t be more glad she survived.
“I learnt that it’s a bad day, not a bad life,” she says.
Emma has four main pieces of advice she says she’d give to someone who is struggling:
It’s OK to talk
It can sometimes feel quite shameful when we have these thoughts and we feel like no one really cares.
But actually, there are lots of people that do, whether that’s friends, family, your GP or an advice line.
Have a crisis plan and recognize your triggers
It’s about knowing what can make you feel worse.
When we’re down we do things like looking at the exes photos on #Facebook, we listen to that sad song, we watch that movie that we used to watch with them, all those sorts of things.
Don’t do that!
Stay away from drugs and alcohol
This is not a piece of advice that people always want to hear because when we’re feeling low we often turn to this and feel better.
But actually, they reduce our inhibitions. You are much more likely to act on suicidal thoughts if you’re taking drugs or alcohol, so stay away from them.
Create a care box
It can be a box, a carrier bag or anything. It’s something that you’ve put things in that make you feel better.
It might be your favorite CD, a letter from someone you care about, your favorite jumper or chocolate bar, anything that makes you feel good.
You can kind of pick it up when you’re feeling really low as an act of self care.
For information and support on #mentalhealth and #suicide, access the BBC Action Line.
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
