"Alive" is Too Low a Bar: Redefining Suicide Prevention

Send us Fan Mail There is an enormous amount of suffering between "I'm doing good" and "I don't want to be here anymore." As Suicide Prevention Month comes to a close, Cinnamon challenges the idea that suicide prevention begins only when someone becomes suicidal. What about the months, or years, before the crisis? What about the first responder who is still showing up, still handling calls, still cracking jokes, but has quietly stopped enjoying their own life? After saying goodbye to Ben, her 14-year-old pug, Cinnamon found herself thinking about the way we talk about quality of life when we make end-of-life decisions for our pets, and how rarely quality of life gets the same attention in conversations about human suicide prevention. She also explains what she means when she says Save a Warrior "saved my life." She is not necessarily saying it stopped her from killing herself. It helped her work through grief, guilt, old trauma, old patterns, and the parts of life that had become increasingly unlivable. Sometimes saving a life means keeping a heart beating. Sometimes it means helping someone get their life back. Using retired firefighter Jim Burneka's book Overcoming Tuesday as a frame, Cinnamon asks a different set of wellness questions: What does an ordinary Tuesday feel like? Do you sleep? Do you like going home? Do you still laugh? Do you have fun that serves no productive purpose? Does anyone know your truth? Do you know who you are when nobody needs anything from you? Because most of life is not the five-alarm fire, the officer-involved shooting, the pediatric code, or the line-of-duty death. Most of life is Tuesday. IN THIS EPISODE: - Why "alive" is too low a bar for first responder wellness - Suicide prevention before someone reaches a suicidal crisis - Grief, Ben, and the question of quality of life - What Cinnamon means when she says Save a Warrior saved her life - Jim Burneka's Overcoming Tuesday and the importance of ordinary days - Sleep, relationships, alcohol, chronic pain, identity, fun, and connection - Why the uniform cannot be the only thing holding a person's identity together - Questions that matter before "Are you suicidal?" - Why "What would make your life 10% better?" can be a powerful place to start - Peer support and small, practical ways departments can raise the bar "You don't have to be the sickest person in the room to deserve support. Somebody else having it worse does not magically make you well or make your pain invalid." "I started this podcast because I wanted to make an impact on suicide rates, but I'm continuing this podcast because I want more of you to actually live." Resources mentioned in this episode: - Save a Warrior - Overcoming Tuesday by Jim Burneka After the Tones Drop is for educational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for professional mental health care, medical care, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are struggling or in crisis, please reach out to a qualified professional or an appropriate crisis resource in your area. DISCLAIMER: After the Tones Drop is shared for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes. It does not provide therapy, medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment, and listening does not create a therapist-client relationship. The views expressed are those of the individual speaking. If you need support, please reach out to a qualified professional or emergency services in a crisis. You can also visit our shows resources page for an abundance of helpful information.  ATTD Music Credits (Music from #Uppbeat):   Our theme music is Intentions by Abby Noise, licensed through Upbeat  https://uppbeat.io/t/vens-adams/adventure-is-calling License code: ANJCYVHRMULSNKQR https://uppbeat.io/t/vens-adams/rise-of-the-hero License code: H4WTAGJZIXZCM8DM https://uppbeat.io/t/yeti-music/homewardLicense code: KO7FZAIJBAEAJLKE https://uppbeat.io/t/sonda/the-heart-grows License code: KAID0ITO96GJZAPS https://uppbeat.io/t/philip-anderson/achievement License code: XZ4PMCKHW94GUR74 https://uppbeat.io/t/tobias-voigt/nexus License code: MVMDRGHKHTJRABVR https://uppbeat.io/t/paul-yudin/breakthrough License code: FYPM3OJF0NQ4OGTE