Suicide Prevention

18. 09. 11
posted by: Luke Mauer

I want to take a brief moment away from the comedy routine to tell everyone that I love you and appreciate you.  You matter.  Not only for the podcast and for supporting us, but in life - YOU matter.

In September, we chose Suicide Prevention and Awareness as our charity.  Andy brought up To Write Love on Her Arms which is super powerful if you get a chance to read through the website and it echos the sentiment of YOU MATTER.  There's a great blog that they update often with some spectacular reads that I suggest anyone to take a look at.

In today's world, people lose their jobs, struggle with school, battle bullies, battle demons - nothing comes easy in our media obsessed world.  It can be really negative to see the bad side of news constantly thrown into your face.  Shows like 13 Reasons Why show the hard truth of what goes on in today's world.  Maybe it's on the dramatic side...but maybe it's not?  This happens everywhere - whether we accept it and acknowledge it or not.

Everyone has been through tough times and everyone has gone through some struggles; some worse than others.  Something that really hit me hard, personally, was when Robin Williams tragically took his life in 2014.  Robin Williams - who had openly battled some demons, but was one of America's funniest people.  You can take a movie that otherwise would have been pretty bad (RV, Old Dogs) and as soon as you put in Robin Williams, it's watchable.  To see someone who was always laughing, smiling, and helping others succumb to such horrible demons was eye opening to me.  How could someone so "happy" be so troubled?  But that's when it became real - depression is real.  Hiding behind a fake wall is real.  Lying to protect - maybe not yourself - but others...is real.

A song by Jessie J captivates depression and hiding:

The girl who always says yes
Wants to scream no
Takes over everyone's stress
And ignores her own
The life and soul of the party
But loves to stay home
She say's she's not broken-hearted
But cries on her own
 
Playing pretend
I shouldn't hide it
It isn't right
Being a liar
I'm crossing the line
Dancing with fire,
When I'm not fine
Should I deny it?
'Cause I'm going crazy when I'm not okay,
I keep praying that the cracks don't show my pain
'Cause even when I'm falling, I say my life is like a dream
But I'm fighting through a nightmare,
'Cause I'm not really being me

The song also goes on to say "the girl who starts all the jokes, just to make her laugh" which really drives home what Robin Williams may have been feeling.  Making everyone around him laugh while he battles his demons deep inside without reaching out for help.  It's hard to reach out for help.  It's hard to say you NEED help.  It's easier to keep it inside.  I'm here to tell you - there are resources.  There are tons.  There are people everywhere who are willing to help.  WE are willing to help.  As a group of fun loving guys - we all have our own battles.  No one's life is perfect.  If you're afraid to reach out to someone but want to talk - the Suicide Prevention Hotline is anonymous (1-800-273-8255).  You can reach out to our team anonymously (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).  As fun loving as we are, we love you and we care about you.  The Best Podcast You've Never Heard was created on the premise of escape and fun.  It's a chance to just forget about the challenges of real life and have some fun each week.  We get it.  You matter.  Even if you don't think so or you don't see it - you matter to a lot of people.  Don't be afraid to speak up.  Thank you for taking the time to read, but mostly, thank you for being YOU.  Have a positive week!