Trigger warnings: suicide, suicidal ideation, trauma, depression, hopelessness, and mental health struggles. Biz Nasty: While you're here, go check out our REBRAND + NEW MERCH! We gave Traumatically Speaking a little glow-up, and our Chaos Cousins deserve to wear the trauma in style. Go check out the new look and grab your favorites before we inevitably change our minds again.https://traumatically-speaking-co.myshopify.com/ Episode 30 of Traumatically Speaking, Suicide Doesn't Look Like Suicide, is one of those conversations that gets uncomfortable for a reason. Sometimes suicidal ideation doesn't look like someone sitting around planning to die. Sometimes it looks like quietly thinking, "If this doesn't work out, I can always just kill myself." It can become an escape hatch. A backup plan. A thought that sits quietly in the background while you keep going to work, making plans, laughing with your friends, and living what looks like a completely normal life. In this episode, Sloan and Lex talk about what happens when that thought becomes a familiar coping mechanism—and what it means when you eventually realize you don't actually want to die anymore, but you also never learned what to do when life gets hard. Because surviving isn't the same thing as knowing how to live. They unpack the ways trauma can teach us to see death as an option when we feel trapped, overwhelmed, rejected, or like we've run out of ways forward. They talk about the difference between wanting your life to end and desperately wanting the pain you're experiencing to end, and why those thoughts deserve to be taken seriously even when someone doesn't "look suicidal." This isn't a conversation about attention-seeking or dramatic moments. It's about the quiet thoughts people don't always tell anyone about. The "I could just disappear" thoughts. The "If everything falls apart, I have an out" thoughts. The thoughts that can become so normalized that you don't even realize how much space they've been taking up in your life. And then comes the harder question: What do you do when you don't want to die anymore—but you never learned how to handle life without death sitting in the back of your mind as an escape plan? Sloan and Lex get honest about the messy process of learning new coping mechanisms, sitting with discomfort, asking for help, and figuring out how to keep choosing life when life isn't particularly f*****g easy. If you've ever thought, "I don't want to die. I just don't know how to do this anymore," this conversation is for you. We aren't here to give you a perfect recovery story. We're here to remind you that sometimes healing looks like realizing the thing you once used as an escape doesn't have to be your escape anymore. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out for immediate support. You do not have to wait until you're at your worst to ask for help. United States: Call or text 988United Kingdom: Samaritans — 116 123Canada: Talk Suicide Canada — 1-833-456-4566Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14New Zealand: 1737Other countries: Find A Helpline for local crisis resources. If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services or go to the nearest emergency department.. We support and encourage therapy. If you're looking for a licensed therapist, visit:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists We are not here to heal you, just to keep you company between sessions. Make Megan PROUD. Watch us on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@TraumaticallySpeaking Want a chance to have your story shared on the pod?Email us: traumaticallyspeaking@gmail.com Remember: write it like a story — bullet points don't flow — and send it as a .pdf if ya nasty. okay love you bye,Sloan & Lex
