Sharing – Why Birthdays Should Matter to People Who Have Been Suicidal
I couldn’t agree more with what Kelly wrote, as I’ve mentioned before, I never thought I would live to see 50, let alone 53 now, and so I completely understand when she shares this:
“If you’ve lived through suicidality and celebrate your existence with a big bash or a self-care day every year, you aren’t alone. As a survivor of suicidality, I “live it up” on my birthday to celebrate surviving the days when I didn’t want to live at all.”
It also reminds me of a conversation I was having recently about photography and different styles. While my wife is likely to take photos of very small details because she is very tactile as a person, and wants to remember what something feels like. I’m influenced greatly by the fact that I have traveled to places during dissociative states that I don’t remember. I’m trying to capture the memory of being somewhere in case I forget one day. It’s just one of the many ways that our struggles continue to impact how we live our lives, for better and worse.
If you’re still here after struggles like Kelly and I have had, how do you celebrate that?