World Suicide Prevention Day :: Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Date published: 8 September 2022

World Suicide Prevention Day is on 10 September and every year we join the campaign to raise awareness of suicide prevention. Each year there is a different theme and this year the theme is “Creating hope through action”

Feeling like all hope is lost can be challenging to deal with. It can affect motivation and energy levels and leave someone feeling very alone but finding hope is possible and there are things that can help inspire hope.

This year, you’re asked to take actions to inspire hope. These can be actions that:

Show you care
Challenge stigma
Share experiences

The idea is that someone who has hope is not as likely to end their life. Finding hope may not always be easy but sometimes an idea or example can inspire the hope that someone needs.

We want you to share the things that inspire you and your patients to feel hopeful, this could be:

Films
TV programmes
Books
Music
Activities
Blogs/podcasts
Famous people
Stories
Quotes
Social media accounts
Artwork

What can you do?

Sometimes little actions can have a big impact. Below we share some suggestions for actions you can take for yourself and others…

Improve your suicide awareness and be prepared to talk to someone about suicide by taking Zero Suicide Alliance’s (ZSA) free online suicide awareness training.
Write a gratitude diary to remind yourself of the good things that have happened in your day (download ZSA simple gratitude diary template).
Give someone a compliment.
Smile at someone or simply say hello to acknowledge they’re there and you see them.
Ask someone how their day was and really listen to their answer.
Check in with a friend you’ve not seen or spoken to in a while.
Remember to say sorry if you get it wrong. We’re all human.
Try to respond to frustration with kindness.
Get an early night (if you can).
Share positive feedback with someone, don’t just think it.
Do something active (within the scope of your abilities).
Try to say ‘thank you for listening’ instead of ‘sorry for grumbling’.
Listen to music that inspires, empowers, or helps you to vent your feelings (check out these song suggestions for inspiration).
Watch a film that gives you hope and a sense of connection (check out these film suggestions for inspiration).
Read a book that offers you comfort, inspiration or a world viewpoint that is different to yours (check out these book suggestions for inspiration).
Learn a new skill or take up a new hobby.
Hold onto the positive feedback you receive. For example, creating a ‘sunshine’ folder in your email inbox to put positive feedback you receive at work.
Practice patience with others. None of us are perfect. Sometimes we get things wrong.
Share the things that help you. This can help others that might be struggling.
Make a pledge to improve the conversation about suicide. Be informed. Challenge stigma.

Life is filled with ups and downs, hope is what carries us through

Hope is an important part of our wellbeing and feeling like there is no hope can be very hard.

Trying to regain hope can be hard, particularly when you are struggling with mental illness or going through a difficult time in your life.

We want to reassure you that finding hope is possible and we see it every single day.

We’ve been asking our staff and patients what helps them to feel hopeful and we’ve had some great feedback from some of our groups about how good those conversations have left them feeling.

For anyone who needs help to find hope, we’re sharing these ideas with you and are hopeful they will inspire you to find hope.

Find out more: https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/hope

What to do if you feel like you're losing hope

Sometimes we lose hope because we can’t see a solution to a problem or worry. There is always a way through.

Try talking to someone you trust or someone who is trained to listen and help you problem solve and find hope. There are many options but sometimes it can be hard to see what they are on your own.