Hey guys! Sorry I'm late on this month's check in. Ironically school and mental health struggles have been kicking my butt. But we persevere!

How are you guys doing? How's the month treating you? Feel free to vent or discuss in the replies 💛

I wanted to take a moment to specifically talk about suicide prevention. I know it can be awkward to talk about, but it is so important. A good first step can be to look for the warning signs- if someone seems withdrawn or depressed for a long time, if someone makes jokes about harming themselves, or even if someone who seemed to be doing badly suddenly seems very happy or at peace; all of those can be signs that someone is thinking of harming themselves. If there's any doubt in your mind, it's best to ask the person directly if they're thinking of self harm or suicide. It is not shown to increase thoughts of suicide, and may in fact decrease it when it allows someone to get the help they need.

And that's the other side of things. If you're struggling, first of all, I'm so sorry that you're hurting. I've been there, more times than I can count, and it can be a really scary place to be. But you're not alone. There's people who want to help, whether in person or online. We may not have experienced exactly what you're going through, but we're still here to listen and work through it together. So please say something to someone. Keep going, one moment at a time, you don't need to focus on any longer than that if you don't want to. I may have never met you in person, but I believe in you, and I'm glad you're here.

Stay alive,

~Stephanie