“I had a plan to die once. I knew exactly how I was going to do it. The darkness crept in until it nearly took over everything. But here I am, writing to you, telling you the darkness doesn’t last forever.”
‘The world needs you. Not despite the darkness, but maybe because of it.’: An Open Letter To Those Considering Suicide
‘How do I do this?’ Almost right away, she sent me everything I needed.’: Mom urges ‘make sure you have friends like this’
“We can get so incredibly busy and burdened, we can’t see the solution right under our very own noses. Make sure you have friends like this”
‘Can I go camping with my friend?’ Where did this fear come from? Mother Bear instincts? I HAVE to give her the chance to spread her wings.’: Mom details struggles with anxiety, ‘The fear never truly goes away’
“I see a narrow spot on the road and suddenly I see myself losing control and our vehicle rolling over and over. I wonder if we would survive or if I would have to live with causing an accident that took my children’s lives. It keeps me up at night, makes me a wreck all day.”
‘My mother and I escaped to a battered woman’s shelter, I finally felt safe. It upsets me to think I allowed my children to live through the same abuse I did.’: Woman overcomes cycle of domestic abuse, finds strength and healing in meditation
“I’ll always be grateful for Lindsay, the amazing woman who spent days on the phone with me. She guided me to find meditation teachers, ended my anxiety and changed my life forever.”
‘Learning his mistress was pregnant with twins felt like his hands were still wrapped around my neck.’: Woman escapes domestic abuse relationship after neighbor overhears desperate pleas for ‘help’
“I’d get dressed, only to realize my keys were gone from their usual spot. ‘Babe, I took them by accident,’ he’d tell me. My husband had his cellphone number programmed to receive all the notifications when visitors buzzed our apartment. No one could visit me. At 7 months pregnant, I rushed into my closet. I was in the fetal position cradling my stomach. I whispered to my baby, ‘Mommy will always protect you. We’re going to be okay.’ ‘Get out of there immediately,’ my cousin told me.”
‘FREEZE. DON’T MOVE,’ I whispered. This was it. He knew I was escaping. The music stopped. ‘Run, run now!’: Woman escapes abusive relationship, re-marries, ‘I am now loving every waking moment on earth’
“I needed someone to tell in case I went ‘missing.’ Our house was in the middle of a hill, covered by woods. ‘Mom, please come.’ With the highest anxiety I’d ever felt in my life, I slowly closed the door. This was it. My goodbye after 13 years. My kids smiled in the backseat, oblivious. ‘Go!’ I turned off my location and watched in the mirror as we drove away.”
‘I’d be driving to work and see the ‘perfect’ tree to ram my car into. I stared at the railing upstairs, picking out the spot to hang from. I knew this was not normal, but it was my new normal.’
“It was a dreary day. I was standing by the window with tears streaming down my face. The kids were whining in the background. The house was a complete disaster. I was trembling and my knuckles were white from gripping the chair. My marriage was crumbling before my eyes.”
‘I got in the shower. ‘Dana, are you alright?’ My boyfriend heard a loud crash. He rolled me on my side, stuck his fingers in my mouth.’: Woman with epilepsy explains how she has ‘cheated death’ countless times
“My boyfriend heard a loud crash. ‘Dana, are you alright?!’ No response. He rushed in thinking our shower curtain simply fell. It did. But me with it. I began to choke as he rolled me on my side and stuck his fingers in my mouth. My guard was down. I woke up in the back of an ambulance.”
‘My boyfriend woke me. ‘He is in the house.’ I checked the doors, all locked. I climbed back into bed. ‘I just saw him in the hall!’ I got up again. He was there. We heard a loud BOOM!’
“We started arguing and it woke my son up. Excited to see his dad, he ran to him. He picked him up, turned and walked out. He just took my son! I was in shock. She knew. She told me to pack a small bag and get the hell outta there.”
‘I woke up expecting it to be my last day on earth. I bought a bottle of pills and razors. Then I bought a rope. I had 3 different plans and figured one of them had to work.’
“I walked for miles to find an area with a good tree, and no people. I finally found a place. I tied the rope around the tree, and took what I thought would be my last breath. I stepped off the branch. Then, someone called. My phone rang and rang. I finally answered.”
