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questions about sharing your story

Anyone over the age of 18 who identifies as having a personal lived experience of suicide, has cared for someone feeling suicidal or might have lost someone to suicide.

If you answer yes to any of these, we invite you to share your experience with outlive.

  • Have you experienced thoughts of suicide or acted on them?
  • Have you supported a loved one who has experienced such feelings or acted on them?
  • Have you lost someone to suicide?

You can share your story as a blog, poetry, video, art, or as an audio file. You can even submit your story anonymously if that is your preference. We accept submissions in any language.

Talking openly about suicide can make a big difference in breaking the stigma around suicide and helo young people find the support they need. Your story can inspire other young people and let them know that they are not alone.

Stories are edited by Outlive staff for spelling, grammar, clarity, length, and to meet our editorial guidelines. We may suggest edits or changes to your submission based on the impact we want to create. The edited draft will be shared with you for your approval before publishing. Published stories are distributed through the Outlive website, and our communications channels (social media, press releases, newsletters).

You can email us at [email protected] and we will assist you in sharing your experience.

Information related to methods of self-harm or suicide will not be published. Our aim is to promote help-seeking and reduce stigma on suicide. Mention of anything that may trigger a reader will not be publishable.

Prompts to help you think through your story

Tell us about yourself.

Help readers get to know you. Include the things you love and love doing. Only disclose the personal details you feel comfortable sharing and leave out any information you would not want publicly known.

Think about why you want to share your experience with others.

Do you want to raise awareness or are you looking for support? If it is the latter, we recommend you also browse resources to support yourself here.

What do you wish people understood about your experience?

What were some factors or key moments that led you to experience thoughts of suicide? Think about what aspects of your personal experience you wish to share and remember that you should only share details that you are comfortable disclosing on a public forum.

Tell us about your experience getting support for your thoughts and feelings of suicide.

It can be helpful to share parts of your experience that demonstrate the importance of seeking help early, and promote hope and recovery. You could talk about people, activities and actions that supported your recovery and helped you cope. These elements in your story will illustrate the value of finding coping skills that work for you and connecting to support.

Share your present experience. How are you today?

How are you different today? What helps you make the decision to stay alive and keep working to make a life worth living for yourself? How do you cope with any ongoing struggles? Share what is going well in your life, as well as any ongoing support you have in place such as a safety plan. Focus on sharing hope for others.

Your message of hope for others.

Looking back at your journey, and looking forward to the future, what would you say is one of your biggest learnings that you’d like to share with others? Why do you think it is important to talk about your story?

Please aim to keep your submission between 500-700 words. If you have any questions, please feel free to write to [email protected]

people

A Note from those who’ve shared their story

If you are currently experiencing suicidal thoughts, feelings or behaviours you should call a crisis helpline number or talk to a trusted adult or friend before submitting your story on Outlive. Visit here to find resources to support yourself.

Senjuti, 22

people

A Note from those who’ve shared their story

But to anyone facing similar experiences, I just want to tell you one thing. You just have to focus on the next baby step. Yes, it is an excruciatingly painful experience but if you keep at it, eventually, you will learn to walk. 

Purnashree, 20

people

A Note from those who’ve shared their story 

Just hold on till the end date. Do whatever you have to do. Recognize why you feel so trapped that you only see one way out. And do it at your own pace. Nobody else gets to set this timeline for you.

Aditi

 

Testimonials

The peer supporter was very supportive and reassured me exactly how I wanted to be reassured.

Outlive chat support seeker

She helped me out; she is a good one who supported me when I was feeling lonely. Now I am feeling good because of that peer, thanks to this platform!

Outlive chat Support seeker

The volunteering brought a sense of purpose and despite the limited people I could help through the platform, I know the learnings will remain for life. I try to utilize them in my everyday conversations and focus on my own well-being through self-care.

Outlive peer supporter (volunteering feedback)

For me it was an eye-opener about how mental health is connected to suicide.

Outlive YASP Fellow

The workshops were engaging, and the team was very open. I got to learn alot from the other mentors and the collaborative process really added to the learning. The workshops provided structure and a lot of clarity for the project and the expectations and now I am eager to take this forward.

Outlive peer supporter (training feedback)

This program helped me to look past the preconceived notions and misinformation regarding suicide prevention and gain an evidence-based understanding of the struggles and factors affecting suicide especially in young adults. The facilitators were very knowledgeable and created a safe space for the supporters to ask questions and resolve doubts. The in-depth approach really helped me imbibe the training given and use it effectively

Outlive peer supporter (training feedback)

I learnt how to be more empathetic and also got a real picture of how events can affect individuals. It's hard to accept when one hasn't experienced similar events, but the impact can be detrimental, and in those times it's important to reach out to a safe space. Outlive does that.

Outlive peer supporter (volunteering feedback)

Made me very independent and direct - confident - we were able to highlight the points that we wanted implemented. YASP gave us this empowerment to do it as youth - empowered us to speak in front of these policymakers.

Outlive YASP Fellow
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