Wellness: 2019 National Suicide Prevention Week September 8th-14th & The I’m Listening Broadcast

World Suicide Prevention Day is observed annually on September 10th, during National Suicide Prevention Week. Today is the first day of National Suicide Prevention Week and I started the week like I did last year, by listening to the two hour long 2019 I’m Listening Broadcast hosted by BJ Shea of KISW in Seattle alongside Dr. Ursula Whiteside of Now Matters Now. Entercom launched and first aired the I’m Listening Broadcast in September 2017 following the death of artist Chris Cornell and Linkin Park lead vocalist Chester Bennington. The discussion is meant to raise awareness to the suicide epidemic and lift some of the stigma associated with mental illness. Last year was my first year listening to the broadcast and I was in awe at how relatable the discussion was and by how much useful information was shared. This year’s celebrity guest who joined the discussion included one of this summer’s most popular artists Lizzo, In My Blood singer Shawn Mendes, Halsey, Solomon Thomas of the San Francisco 49ers, Blink-182 and many more.

If you think you’re alone you’re not, according to research done by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness and 1 in 25 experience serious mental illnesses. Don’t be afraid to open up and speak to someone about what’s going on in your life, I can tell you from personal experience, it helps. You can reach the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. Also, for anyone wondering how they can help someone dealing with depression, anxiety, and etc...JUST LISTEN! One of the kindest things you could ever do for someone is listen to them, I tweeted this out while listening to the broadcast and ImListening.org retweeted it so hopefully my message reaches whom ever it was meant for.