I Wanna Push the Button!
/We felt this intoxicating power each time we summoned the metal sky box.
Read MoreStepping up with Sigma Chi
We felt this intoxicating power each time we summoned the metal sky box.
Read MoreIt took me a long time to realize that I don’t suck at suicide; I succeed in living.
Read MoreA person can do everything they’re supposed to do, but the illness gets a vote too.
Read MoreIt’s an oddly human characteristic to desire speed and outcomes in all aspects of life.
Read MorePersonal accountability with how one thinks is challenging when living with a mental illness.
Read MoreSuicides fall into two categories: successful and failed attempts.
A successful suicide is when a person kills him or herself through their method of choice.
Failed attempts are further divided into how the attempt failed. Either:
A person is discovered in the attempt and is stopped.
The person chooses not to go through with the attempt.
The person tries to kill themselves but instead injures themselves.
That is how we talk about suicide. A person succeeds by dying. Attempted, aborted, or failed suicides are when a person lives. What a horrible way to categorize a still living person.
Suicide attempt survivors are indirectly told: “Congratulations! You lived and you failed!” It must not be this way.
Those that live should not be sidelined or marginalized. They should not be regarded as broken. They should be cared for. Reminded that they are not alone, and that despite their best efforts - they succeeded in failing.
I failed in more things in my life than I can count, and the failures I am most happy about are my “failed suicides.” I did not fail to kill myself. I succeeded in staying alive.
I want this blog to flip the script on suicide.
I want to praise those that don’t kill themselves; those that succeed in living because someone found them, or because they had the strength to not see it through, or they were fortunate enough that their attempt didn’t work.
In the aftermath of my attempts, I felt a deep shame and a level of personal loathing so severe, that the only course of action I thought was acceptable was to try suicide again.
I was stuck in a brutal cycle that reinforced the worst messages that I could tell myself. This is the cycle I aim to break with this blog because there are far better messages to say loudly and often to oneself and to others.
I hope you’ll join me.
Please visit this new site created by my friend, Bill York, to celebrate the legacy of his son who died by suicide earlier this year.
http://www.joshuayorkfoundation.org/
Life on the 7th Shelf is my way of sharing how a person can live well with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.
The 7th Shelf was written by Dante in The Inferno, as the Wood of the Suicides.
For me, living on the 7th shelf is challenging but I have found my means for winning the daily battle against the worst my mind can throw at me.
We aim to create a space of hope, filled with resources, information, tools, and more for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. We’re committed to Gordon’s vision of sharing different methods of thinking to help those with and without mental illness live more fulfilling lives.
Contact us
corsetti007@me.com
Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for help. In an emergency, please call 911.
If you or someone you know is seeking help for mental health concerns, visit the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) website, or call 1-800-950-NAMI(6264).
For confidential treatment referrals, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website, or call the National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP(4357).