September is Suicide Prevention Month, so today I participated in the #WhyNotChallenge- this challenge was aimed to create a million unique reasons to live! 💕

Part of the reason I became a therapist was exposure to people in my life who came to me with thoughts or plans for suicide. As a young person, I didn’t know how to best navigate these conversations but I knew I wanted to help!

Over my studies, I learned many myths about suicide. Here are two I want to dispel today:

1. Talking about suicide can make someone more likely to end their life: Asking someone if they’re suicidal will NEVER give them an idea that they haven’t thought about already. Most suicidal people are truthful and relieved when questioned about their feelings and intentions. Doing so can be the first step in helping them to choose to live.

2. People who talk about suicide are only trying to get attention: WRONG! Over 70% who voice they have a plan to kill themselves either make an attempt or complete the act. If you know someone who has a plan to hurt or kill themselves, the best thing you can do is help refer them to a therapist or agency to get help now!

Want to participate? It’s super easy: make a list of your own 11 reasons why you want to live. Then post it with the hashtag #WhyNotChallenge. Your list just might save someone’s life! Thanks @luna.ap.photography for this wonderful idea.

FEELING UNSAFE? The suicide hotline is always available. Call 1-800-273-8255 to reach the lifeline.

Went for a hike this weekend in #ForestPark here in Portland. Trying to get out into the woods more since the weathers been cooler! 

Nature 🌼 has a hugely understated affect on our mental health. Studies show spending time outdoors can reduce levels of anxiety, increase our happiness and sense of connectedness, increase focus and attention, and helps us bounce back from stressful situations quicker.

Evidence shows that having more regular exposure to green spaces 🌿 decreases our chances for anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders. Spending time outdoors had also been proven to decreases cortisol levels, reduces blood pressure, and can even reduce chronic pain. 

As a society, we have not yet accepted that nature can function as such a strong protective factor for both mental and physical health!

Has anyone experienced positive effects of nature on their body or mind? I want to hear your stories! 💚

Let’s talk anxiety. I believe anxiety in part comes from our attachment to believing everything we think is true. Just because a thought feels true doesn’t make it true.

The average person thinks between 50,000-70,000 thoughts per day. In the moment, our thinking seems logical, but when we start looking more critically at the content of our thoughts, we notice thinking errors- therapists call these cognitive distortions. We tend to believe many of our thoughts- but we are not our thoughts.

I love this idea: “You are the consciousness (the ocean) from which your thoughts (the waves) arise.”

Here’s your goal:

1) Be the observer. Listen to your thoughts without judgement! Practice mindfulness.

2) Train your brain. Say goodbye to thoughts your don’t like. Decrease your attachment that your feelings are true! 

For more help with anxiety, contact me!