THANKFUL FOR: 1-800-273-8255

This is my very favorite shirt to wear. You may be wondering, why?  That, my friends, is precisely why I love wearing this shirt. No matter when I wear it or where I wear it to, someone always asks, “what’s that number on your shirt?” Just yesterday, I heard one girl tell her friend to take a picture of me, and they could google the telephone number:  1-800-273-8255 

These 11 individual numbers make up 1 phone number. This 1 phone number is the number of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It also is the title of a song by Alessia Cara & Logic. Thousands of people who are struggling call this number in one single day. When I wear this shirt it opens up dialogue and conversation on a topic that is so misunderstood & also overlooked: mental health struggles

I don’t care who you are or how perfect you make your life look on social media. EVERYONE, and I mean everyone, struggles at some point with something. The severity will be different, but no one on this earth is immune to struggle. Yet, it is the one topic we seem to be the most afraid of. Anxiety, depression, suicide, self-harm, addiction, etc. are all forms of mental health disorders & we look at people with these issues like a monkey behind bars at the zoo. As a natural instinct we judge one another to make ourselves feel better, me included. 

As a person who has struggled, I know there is not one single answer to this problem that is rapidly taking over our nation. No one has all the answers, but I believe the best place to start is by 1). prayer and 2). love. God can and will solve all problems as long as you let him in. We are all busy. We are all tired. We are all lazy. None of this is an excuse for loving your neighbor. Call a friend. Smile at a stranger. Hug your brother. Text your family. Buy someone lunch. Take the time to truly listen. If someone is struggling… trust me, they will show it in some way or form. Forgive and forget the past… all we have is the future & I want as many of you in my future as possible !!! 

Mental Health struggles are an ugly thing. We as humans internally battle demons every single day. The forgotten have walked through fires and not made it out alive. Others of us have walked through that same fire, yet they have come out a stronger, braver, better person than you can ever imagine or relate to. It doesn’t make them better than you or worse than you… it makes them incombustible.  

This week is Suicide Prevention week. Don’t give up on yourself & never give up on one another. If you or someone you know is struggling please call this number on my shirt. For more information please visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org … let’s help one another fight their fires. I love each and every one of you. Today and everyday I am thankful for this number, those who answer the call, and the ability to be incombustible. 

Yours Truly,

​Southern and Thankful