Reasons To Live

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When times get tough, some people feel like they can’t keep going. Whether through active suicide planning, ideation, or just not wanting to get up, life can feel empty and meaningless. Like all hope is gone and there’s nothing to gain.

I’m not here to try to give generic universal platitudes. I know from experience those can actually make it worse. I am also not a professional therapist, so please don’t use this article to substitute for therapy.

What I’ll attempt to do, is to give reasons for continuing on. Because if you’re feeling hopeless and reading this article, you don’t deserve to die.

We All Die Eventually

Death is a commonality of life. There is no elixir of life, which means every living thing dies at some point. Ideally, it should be at the end of a long and fulfilling life. For humans, this would be about 80 to 90 years or more in today’s world.

Obviously, not everyone manages that. Some die of diseases and injuries. Others, of accidents or violent crimes like murder. Criminals in certain countries get executed. Then there’s deliberately ending one’s own life.

Life can be unpredictable. Sure, it might look utterly hopeless in the current moment. But there are so many different factors that come into play to make a situation exist. When they change, a situation could improve as well.

Improvement is not linear. That doesn’t mean it’s non-existent. If life ends inevitably, why not wait to see how it ends?

There Are Sensations

Life is full of simple moments that can’t be experienced by a dead person.

The smell of roses. The taste of newly cooked food. The sight of a rainbow. The sound of your favourite song coming on the radio. The touch of a loved one during a joyous reunion. The joy of doing a hobby.

Perhaps not all of these apply to you. Or maybe even none of them. The point here is that life is full of wonderful experiences that dead people just can’t truly have. They’ve ceased to live, after all. Regardless of what people believe about the afterlife, one thing is universal: any afterlife is nothing like truly living.

While not every sensation and feeling is great or even good, the good ones are what makes life worth it for many.

Helping Others

As someone alive, it’s very likely you still have a chance to make at least one person’s day.

Help someone to run errands. Put a smile on a person’s face by cracking a good joke. Aid a close friend in getting resources. Heck, maybe even stopping someone else from going over the edge of life and death.

You don’t have to overexert yourself. In fact, it’s better if you don’t. But even a simple act of kindness can go a long way. Being treated well allows people to be in a better headspace to treat others nicely.

Failed Suicide Attempts Can Hurt

Not every suicide attempt succeeds. In the long run, this is a good thing. However, the immediate fallout is far from pretty.

Survivors are typically left with injuries that require hospitalization. The lingering wounds are frequently rather painful to deal with for a while. In addition, the failed attempts at taking their own lives don’t really resolve underlying issues all that much.

The psych wards attempters often end up in may also be restrictive. There is a set schedule in most with doors often being locked, and you will likely be checked on by staff frequently. In extreme cases, you could be restrained with handcuffs like a prisoner. The quality of treatment varies widely. Overall, psychiatric wards are very isolated places to be in. [1][2]

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These reasons might not unambiguously apply to everyone. Except for the last one: unsuccessful suicide is painful. Regardless, I hope you’ve found a reason to keep going if you’re feeling utterly hopeless right now.

Sources

1: Wade, Danielle. “How Psychiatric Hospitals Have Evolved.” Psych Central, 12 April 2022, https://psychcentral.com/blog/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-mental-hospital-patient#what-it-is. Accessed 31 May 2024.

2: Cuncic, Arlin. “Psych Ward: What Happens If You Are Admitted?” Verywell Mind, 30 March 2023, https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-psych-ward-5217423. Accessed 31 May 2024.

Medium version: https://medium.com/@SnarkyLisa/reasons-to-live-67122b17f01b