If you’re struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
As human beings, we are hard-wired to be connected to one another, to give and receive love, to be supportive of one another, and to work together. We are conditioned in various ways to strive for independence and self-reliance, to make our way in life on our own, and to reject partnership and cooperation. Many of us lose our sense of community, comradery, connection, and togetherness. As a result, we can become hardened to one another. We view each other with judgment, bitterness, and scorn, rather than compassion. We stop loving each other, and ourselves. When we are struggling with addiction and mental health issues, what we often need most from other people is their understanding. We need to feel that someone out there can relate to us and empathize with us. And from the people closest to us, all we usually want and need is their compassion.
When we don’t receive compassion, we feel alone with our pain
We don’t feel understood or appreciated. We lose hope that we’ll be able to survive our afflictions, and we lose faith in ourselves. We start to question whether or not we can recover, in part because we don’t have anyone who believes in us cheering us on and giving us moral support. Many of us isolate ourselves, even more, withdrawing entirely from our families and communities. We’re afraid to speak on our issues or to reach out for help because of the lack of compassion we’ve experienced makes us that much more afraid of being judged, rejected and shunned. Furthermore, we don’t know how to ask for compassion. We don’t know how to communicate our need for love and support. Much of the time we aren’t even aware that compassion is what we are most in need of.
Compassion acts like a lifeline for us in our darkest days. When we’re feeling depressed, panicked, suicidal even, a kind word from another person can literally save our lives. Feeling understood, heard, seen and validated can make all the difference to us and our recovery. Compassion can help us to feel stronger than our fears and insecurities, stronger than our painful thoughts and feelings, and stronger than the addictions and mental health issues threatening to take over our lives.
At The Guest House Ocala, you will be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information on our treatment programs.