Thread by @AmySwearer

September is Suicide Prevention Month. Let's have some real talk - for everyone, but especially for gun owners.

THREAD:

My personal history of mental health struggles isn't exactly a secret, even if it's something I don't often talk about. Let's talk about it.

I really struggled during my first year of college. I was away from home for the first time, under the immense pressure of being a student-athlete, and dealing with an underlying physical illness [well, several, actually, but we didn't know that at the time].

My spiritual life was in shambles. I felt miserable, was miserable, and didn't know how to tell anyone I was miserable. And my God, did I feel so incredibly alone. Years later, I shared my brushes with suicidality [and recovery] with @dearworld

dailynebraskan.com/news/dear-worl…

I still love that story, and the lesson - that the secret to life is understanding that people have need of you, that you bring something unique and worthwhile to every encounter with every person you meet. You are valuable.

But today I would add one more point that is equally important - It is okay to say when you are not okay.

The strongest thing you can do is ask for help. The most courageous thing you can do is accept that help. And I promise you, there are people who want to help you.

And if you're on the opposite side - the person seeing a loved one struggle - I promise you your love and concern is not meaningless. The best friends I have are those I trust will without hesitation say "Hey, you're not okay. This is not okay. I love you. Let's talk about help."

This is particularly true for gun owners. When mental health becomes a factor, access to guns IS a real risk in a way it isn't generally when people are in a healthy mental state. We need to be talking about and planning for this reality.

Believe me, I know this is very difficult for many gun owners. We believe in the individual right to keep and bear arms. We know that the state can sometimes impose serious and inappropriate consequences on those rights when people willingly seek help. It's scary.

But we need to know how and when to seek help, anyway. Even if it means considering temporarily having a friend store your guns until you are in a better state. This is real. It can save lives. It is strength and wisdom, not weakness or folly.

And finally, for loved ones struggling to help people who are deeply hurting, I'll leave you this: sometimes, it's not about "fixing" anything. It's about being there. Literally just being present. Sitting in silence with someone in pain. It helps. You help. Don't leave us alone.