Life Matters

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Joshua J. Seybert
  • 911th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AIR RESERVE STATION, Pa. --  Let's be completely honest, death is one of the hardest subjects to talk about. Whether it's a relative, close friend or someone you know, or yourself pondering suicide; talking about the subject can easily make one uncomfortable.

However, suicide is a subject we should never avoid. For instance, if we notice odd behavior or possible warning signs that someone we know may be thinking irrationally, it is our duty to reach out to them and be their rock.

In other cases, there may be no outward signs that indicate these thoughts are occurring. If this is the case you find yourself in, I personally encourage you to reach out to someone.

If you can't reach out to family or friends due to fear, I say do not be afraid, they care a lot about you and will be there for you.

However, if you are still unsure about reaching out to them, there are many resources to help you and show you that you matter. Just being a member in the military grants you access to the chaplains on base and mental health.

You can also reach out to Military OneSource as a resource in case you don't want to talk to someone on base.

Depression is tricky as it usually has a trigger but also has the ability to sneak up and seemingly come from nowhere. The second is especially true if you have concerns that you have not tended to and have suppressed instead.

It is best to take care of these concerns before they turn into a much bigger problem, whether that is through talking to someone you are close to or talking to one of the many resources afforded to us.

There are so many different people who will help you during your time of need. Do not be afraid to ask for help or to let someone know the troubles on your mind. There will always be someone there to go to.

In my experience, suicides have left more pain, suffering and questions from the family members and friends than any good that could have possibly come from it. There are no positives to suicide.

In fact, I've recently lost one of my closest friends to suicide. Let me be the first to tell you, handling the aftermath is no easy or fun task. This is something no one should ever have to go through. There isn't a day that passes by, where I don't wonder why he did it or why he didn't talk to me about it or even show any signs to many of us that he was going through this troubled time.

Always remember, you matter. There are many people who care about you. No matter how bad life gets, it can get better.