Office of the President of the Philippines

National Youth Commission

Baguio Area Office
st
1 Floor Lindi Hotel Room 3, Legarda Road Baguio City
Telefax no: (074) 619-05-11
E-mail address: nycnorthluzon@gmail.com

ACTIVITY Suicide Prevention Month Inspirational Message

NATURE Technical Assistance/Video Message

DATE September 10, 2022
VENUE Zoom/ Middle Quirino Hill Court
TIME 9:00AM- 10:00AM
AUDIENCE/ 621- SK, 5 Quirino Hill Heath Center, 82 KKDAT, 1
PARTICIPANTS Barangay Captain, 15 Mental Health Core group
( provide number of
pax)
SALIENT FEATURES
Naimbag nga agsapa tayo amin, gawis ay agsapa tayo
amin, mapteng ay agsapa. Forst and foremost I would like
to thank the Quirino Hill Health Center for this opportunity to
impart my knowledge as a youth advocate in Suicide
Prevention.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young
adults and for every youth suicide it is estimated that 100 to
200 others attempt suicide. Young adulthood is a time when
many people experience significant stress from life
transitions such as gaining more independence and
responsibility when moving from home and beginning
college or a career. That stress has been amplified by the
COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, we’ve seen striking glimmers of
resilience – the ability to bounce back from a negative
experience or difficult challenge.

That’s why this September for

#SuicidePreventionAwarenessMonth, we’re focusing on
resiliency – a key skill to learn and develop when it comes
to preventing suicide and coping with a pandemic. It allows
you to face a problem or challenge, overcome it, and get
back to life a little bit stronger and a little bit wiser. Take a
look at the resources below to learn how you can develop
your resiliency skills, protect the mental health of yourself
and your peers, and prevent suicide for young adults across
the nation.
Allow me to read my letter as an inspiration and reminder to
everybody:

Dear Friend,

I don’t know you, but I know something about you. I know

you’re tired.

I know you live with demons, ones that are close and loud.

I know how relentless they are in their pursuit of you.

I know that you spend your days trying to silence them and
your nights trying to hide from them — and the hell they put
you through.

Most of all, I know how hard you work to hide it all, to

pretend you’re fine, to paint a convincing smile upon your
face, and to act as if all is well with your battered soul.

I know that all of this has left you exhausted — that you’ve
numbed yourself and hurt yourself and starved yourself in
the hope that their voices will become silent and their fists
will be lifted and you can finally breathe again.

I know that right now it doesn’t seem like that moment will
ever come.

I know right now you’d rather leave than live

And even though I’m not standing in your shoes right now,
and even though I don’t know you, and even though I have
no right at all — I’m asking you to stick around.

I’m asking you to stay. To endure your incredibly painful,

totally senseless now because I can see your glorious,
blindingly beautiful then, if you do.

If you stick around, you will reach a spot that the sadness
won’t let you see right now — you’ll reach tomorrow.

And that place is filled with possibility. It’s a day you’ve

never been to. It’s not this terrible day. There, you will not
feel exactly what you are feeling right now. You may be
stronger, or see things differently, or find a clearing, and life
may look a way it hasn’t in a long time: It may look like
worth staying for.

Tomorrow is the place where hope lives, and I want you to

give yourself a chance to share space with that hope — to
dance with it, to rest in it, to dream within it because you
deserve it.

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If you stick around…
If you stick around, you’ll travel to amazing places that’ll
take your breath away and see sunsets that have yet to be
painted in the evening sky.

If you stick around, you’ll eat that cheeseburger, the one

that’ll cause you to make an actual audible noise in public
— and you won’t regret it.

If you stick around, you’ll hear that song that’ll change your
life and you’ll dance to it like no one’s watching (and then
not care that they are).

If you stick around, you’ll find yourself in the embrace of

someone who waited their entire lives to embrace you,
whose path you’ll beautifully alter with your presence.

If you stick around, you’ll hold babies, and see movies, and
laugh loudly, and you’ll fall in love, and have your heart
broken — and you’ll fall in love again.

If you stick around, you’ll study and learn and grow, and find
your calling, and find your place. And you’ll lay in the grass,
feeling gratitude for the sun upon your face and the breeze
in your hair.

If you stick around you will outlive your demons.

And yeah, there will be other stuff too

Disappointments and heartache and regrets and mistakes.
And yes, there’ll be moments of despair and painful
seasons and dark nights of the soul you’ll need to endure.
You’ll screw things up and be let down. You’ll hurt, and
you’ll wonder how you’ll ever make it through.

But then you’ll remember the hell you walked through to get
here, and you might remember this letter — and you’ll
realize you’re gonna be okay. Because tomorrow is still
waiting for you, to dance and rest and dream within.

So I guess this is just a reminder, from someone who sees

what you may not see from here, the future, one that’ll be a
lot better with you in it.

This is a plea and a promise, a dare and an invitation.

Stay.

Hang on.

You are loved.

Things will get better.

Trust me.

Cry and get angry and ask for help and punch a wall and
scream into your pillow and take a deep breath and call
someone who loves you. When you let people in, the
demons shrink back, so allow others to carry this sadness
with you until you are stronger.

But for you, for those who will grieve you should you leave,
and for the tomorrow that you deserve to see…

Please, stick around.

If you’re experiencing depression, a desire to self-harm, or

suicidal thoughts, talk to someone.

Help can be found here and here and here right now. You
are worth fighting for.

Sincerely,

Sheridan

Suicide prevention:

If you think someone is at immediate risk of self-harm or

hurting another person:
 Reach out to a trusted friend, family member, or healthcare
professional. Consider calling 911 or your local emergency
number if you can’t get in touch with them.
Stay with the person until help arrives.
Remove any guns, knives, medications, or other things that
may cause harm.
Listen, but don’t judge, argue, threaten, or yell.
GAINS BROUGHT - Gave the inspirational message for the activity
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Prepared by: Approved by:

SHERIDAN ATHENA Y. GAJETE MELANIO R. SANTELLA, JR.,

MPA
PSO IV, Baguio Chief, RYDD
September 10, 2022