I Was Lucky That Time: Part 1

We all have our bad days in life. Some have more than others. At one point, I was experiencing more bad days than most. It was in December of 2022 that it happened. That was the first of 2 turning points that I would experience in a 30 day period. In December, I had totaled out my car and lost my ability to work in one day. My car was my resource to earning an income. Without my car I was unable to earn an income. The loss of income had also jeopardized my ability to make a move that I was planning on doing in January. To top it all off, the tow yard that held my car improperly addressed a package with my belongings from my car causing me to never get the items. In less than 10 days, my world as I knew it, was crumbling.

Unfortunately, it was going to get worse. After the first of the year I fell into a depressive state. I had lost hope and saw no way to overcome the situation. Then, starting on the 11th of January, I started contemplating suicide. I spent 3 days trying to figure out how I was going to kill myself. Do I walk out in front of a car. Jump off of a bridge. Maybe I should overdose on my medications. I decided that I would jump off of a bridge. I was going to go over to the 101 and jump off of the highest point.

On January 14, I had made what I thought would be my last Facebook post telling my friends goodbye and to love one another and those closest to them. One of my friends had read this post and decided to take a course of action on the situation. She had called the Phoenix police department and told them what I was planning to do. That set into motion the wheels of the legal system to do a welfare check and have me taken into custody for a 72 hour psychological evaluation. In the following 2 months, I would spend a total of 3 weeks in mental rehabilitation centers. During my last visit, I was put on medication that have taken away the thoughts of suicide and make things seem normal now.

While I was fortunate enough to have someone willing to take a course of action that saved my life, there are many that are not as fortunate. We hear about mental health on a daily basis, whether it be in discussions, social media or the news. It's time for society to accept that there is nothing wrong with getting help in a time of crisis. It makes you a better person for doing so.