Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. And with the effort to further promote that awareness, and a vision of the world where “we’re all connected and protected from suicide,” came Australia’s R U OK? campaign. R U OK? is a not-for-profit organization, founded by Gavin Larkin in 2009, whose mission is to encourage everyone to meaningfully ask each other, “Are you ok?” When I learned of this amazing movement yesterday, thanks to a friend’s post on Instagram about R U OK Day, I was ecstatic. Not only does this movement encourage people to reach out to each other, but it also promotes effective ways to do so with particular communication strategies that can be used to connect with someone who may be struggling. Asking the simple question, “Are you ok?” may not seem like a big deal. But it is. And it means the world to someone who is suffering.
Armed with Truth
While writing comes naturally, it wasn’t always easy for me to feel confident in what needed to be said. Oftentimes, when I was younger, if I spoke up in conversation, unless my words were directly in line with what others were talking about, I would get strange looks. I realize…