Suicide, therefore, is a very important public health issue. The U.S. suicide rates have steadily increased between 1999 and today. The Suicide rate in this country among teenagers and young adults is increasing and it is one of the leading causes of death in that age group. Suicide is the highest it has been in this country in the past 30 years.
Over 40,000 of the 300 million people living in our great nation end their own life prematurely annually making suicide the 10th leading cause of death in this country. Suicide is usually so shocking for many of us because it is hard to imagine being in a suicidal state of mind unless you have actually experienced it yourself. But, suicide is definitely real and growing amongst us in this nation.
Even though we don’t speak about it as often as we should, it is something that I am sure has found its way into all of our lives at one point or another. It is a subject matter that we all need to be more aware of and acknowledge publicly more often in order to save lives.
For us to make this happen, we first have to understand one fundamental truth, and that is,there is a direct relationship between our quality of life and our state of mind.
When our quality of life is diminished for any reason, we are all at more risk of suffering emotionally, mentally, and physically.
Our nation is burdened with a culture and a way of life that is more detrimental to us in many ways than we care to acknowledge publicly. But we shouldn’t run from the truth because acknowledgment will empower us to make changes.
Our daily emotional states are often controlled by our own egos, which is why some of us struggle more than others with maintaining our mental health. When our jobs, titles, positions, and status become our primary focus, the center of our world, and the core of who we think we are, we fail to develop a strong and secure sense of identity and self.
Our ability to envision and adapt to a different mindset heavily depends on how receptive we are two different concepts of what successful and accomplished looks like.
Today more and more of us work much harder than we truly have to for more and more possessions and more and more achievements, to fulfill the pride of our ego. We are descendants of a people who were living in a time where certain levels of work were absolutely necessary. However, today more andmore of us work much harder than necessary and it’s not for survival but instead, it is for more and more possessions and more and more achievements to fulfill the pride of our egos and measure up.
If we really want to avoid this trend, we must lead by example and live for ourselves, families, health, and our peace of mind. We have to know that our life truly depends on being able to do this. That should be the number one motivation.
Throughout our history, American culture has been publicly criticized for its obsession with riches, wealth, and social status. We have to make the decision to not succumb to a nation that is driven by these unhealthy, narcissistic, capitalistic ideals.
Right now in the midst of unnecessarily working harder than ever, and juggling more than many ever imagined, Americans are unhappier than they have been in the last 30 years. We are depleting ourselves. Time won’t wait for us to carve out our own niches and begin to include new and healthy lifestyle practices on a daily basis. We have to change the standards of what we respect and recognize as true achievement and living rich.
True achievement is never at the expense of our own health and quality of life. Living richly is living with a healthy body and a healthy mind. It is having time in our day for self-care and self-reflection.
True achievement is being aware of how important it is to take care of the most precious possession we have which is us. It is not being ashamed of saying that we need time to regroup and refresh. It is living a life doing what we love and what brings us to balance, peace, and joy. Our lifestyle choices will determine how well we live and our level of mental resiliency.