This is an old post where I talk about my suicide attempt.
This is very hard for me. While I feel like I must get these thoughts and feelings out, it is probably the most personal thing I have or could share. It is the one thing that I haven’t shared with but a couple of people. It is my deepest secret. I share this not to be whiny or self important. I share this so that maybe I can turn a corner and move on.
I attempted to take my life.
Where to begin? How far back do I go? How much back story is needed? I think I’ll start, briefly, of my life growing up. Because of my father’s vagabond heart, my family moved around…a lot. Before I was 18 the longest I had lived in one place was 3 years. From the farmlands of the Midwest to tropic islands in the pacific, it seems as if I had lived everywhere. (Not true, but I have seen many different cultures, geography, and surroundings.) The beautiful thing is that I have had the opportunity to view and experience things that most people will never get to see in their lifetimes. And for this, I am forever thankful to my father. It has opened my eyes and given me the understanding that we are all, in the end, just people. We love, hate and base most of our decisions on emotion. We do and act in accordance to our genetics, culture, and upbringing.
The down fall: I was always an outsider. I never fit in. I never learned how to incorporate myself with people. Maybe it was the constant moving around? Or maybe it was my family’s insecurities? I’m not going to take the time to explore that now. Whatever the cause, I felt lonely and this has followed me throughout my life. I tried to fit in. I tried to be friendly. But in my mind, I never found success. In fact, to this day, I dislike being in groups. I am always uncomfortable. Likewise, I enjoy being one-on-one with people. Despite this, I feel uncomfortable after a while with that person. I feel like they get annoyed with me. I always feel like a fool for almost everything I say. On top of all of this, I am diabetic. My whole life, I have felt hindered.
For reasons beyond my comprehension at this moment, I was luckily to be married, twice. My first marriage was not ideal. I was very angry and emotionally took it out on my wife. It hurts me to this day that I wasn’t nicer or more caring to her needs. I sincerely hope she has found her happiness.
Then there was Tanya. I don’t know what I can say about her in a paragraph…she is beautiful. She is fun to be around. Her laugh is contagious. Her smile warms my heart. She is enthusiastic about almost anything. I don’t know how I was able to attract such a person. I don’t believe in soul mates, but she is very close. After I lost my first wife, I was determined to succeed. I want more out of life. I wanted to be everything for Tanya. I wanted to be everything I was not. Suddenly, I was not hindered and felt like I could accomplish almost anything/everything I wanted to.
I was able to enroll in school and get a college education. Success in almost everything I did came easy. Life was on the fast track. I worked my way into being a “Budget Director” for a non-profit. For 3 months I shined. The Board of Directors looked at me for direction when they fired the Director. I helped things stay afloat, even was asked to represent the board for a small claims court issue. (We lost by the way.)
Unknowingly, I had not fully learned my job and we (the non-profit) reached a massive crisis. We were overdrawn at the bank. I had dropped the ball. This was January 2008. As we struggled to keep afloat and fix things, I was hit with an overwhelming sense of shame, embarrassment, confusion, and anxiety. I was burnt out. Regrettably, I think I was letting my marriage slip also.
Then there was this one morning…and what happened next is all a dream. I remember lying on the bathroom floor crying. The tears forced their way through my body and I couldn’t control them. My body shook. My emotions ran wild while snot poured from my nose. I was at rock bottom, being dragged through the mire. I asked Tanya to take me to the hospital. The doctors looked over me, gave me drugs, and sent me on my way. That evening all of the issues forcefully came back. Tanya took me back to the hospital. Their solution this time was to admit me over night. After meeting with more people the next day, they decided to release me.
I return to work the following week. But it had all changed. All of the trust I had built with my employers seemed to have disappeared. It was a burden to bear. Once again, I felt like I was on the outside. I had begun looking for ways to escape. My relationship with a wonderful woman was stretched thin. My professional life was over. Any perceived self-importance was gone. I was worthless.
It was all too easy to follow a train of thought that led to suicide. I had nowhere to escape. I had bottomed out. My desire for life had come to its end.
Here is what I remember:
- I had an argument with Tanya
- I injected a lethal amount of insulin
- Tanya came home early and took me to the hospital
I spent the next week in a psych unit. Trying to figure out why I was still alive and what the future held, I was locked up. In fact, I had to ask someone to unlock the bathroom! It was a miserable existence. Here I was, having attempted to end my life, and I was a prisoner. It was a double hit. (I may explore this experience in another post.)
After they determined I was not a threat to myself, the doctors let me go. It was too hard to face work. I stop going. I quit. Tanya, I believe, was happy to not have lost me and welcomed me home.
It is a year later. There are, at times, desires to end it all. Maybe they are just too ingrained in me, but the feelings and thoughts will not leave my mind. I still feel alone. I feel as if my friends and acquaintances have abandoned me. I still feel worthless.
Once again, I don’t share this experience and these feelings easily. I’m not asking for anything. I hope that sharing this will help me close this chapter of my life. If you are feeling similar things, please seek help.
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