Coping With Suicidal Thoughts: Practical, Gentle Steps
Sara Mathew, MSC Intern
If you’ve come here because things feel unbearably heavy, I’m really glad you made it.
Suicidal thoughts can feel overwhelming, frightening, or isolating — like you’re carrying a weight that no one else can see. And if that’s where you are right now, it doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means you’re hurting, and your mind is trying to find a way out of the pain.
While this post can’t replace professional mental health care, it can help you create a toolbox of small, gentle strategies people have used to steady themselves when suicidal thoughts appear. Some are about easing the intensity of the very moment. Others are about building support for the future. Take what feels right for you, leave what doesn’t, and remember, you don’t have to go through this alone.
What Suicidal Thoughts Can Feel Like
Suicidal thoughts can show up in many ways. For some, they come as a quiet thought of what it might be like to not wake up tomorrow. For others, they arrive as overwhelming urges, vivid images or loud voices that feel hard to escape. However they show up for you, it doesn’t mean you’re weak or broken. It means you’re hurting. These thoughts are signals of deep pain, not flaws in who you are.
Gentle, Practical Steps
Focus on the next few minutes
- Tell yourself: “I won’t act on these thoughts today.”
- Make a smaller challenge: “For the next 10 minutes, I’ll focus on something else.”
- Try grounding strategies (identify 5 things you can see–4 things you can touch–3things you can hear–2 things you can smell–1 thing you can taste) or box breathing to steady your body.
Keep yourself safe
- Move to a place that feels safer (a friend’s home, a public space, or a calm room).
- Put distance between yourself and anything you could use to harm yourself or ask someone you trust to help. If you have firearms make someone else hold them for you or change your gun safe code.
- If you feel unable to stay safe, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Reach out
- Text or call one person: “I’m struggling, can you stay with me for a few minutes?”
- Use a crisis line: dial 988 (U.S.) or text HELLO to 741741.
- If talking feels hard, try a text or chat-based option instead of a call. If you live in Colorado you can text the Colorado Crisis Services number at 988 and get connected to a local crisis center.
Calm your body and mind
- Drink water, eat something small, or take a walk outside for some fresh air.
- Try progressive relaxation: tighten muscles for 5 seconds, then release.
- Take a warm shower or bath, if you can; let the water ground you.
- Play a short guided meditation or calming playlist. There are many free options on most media platforms.
Gentle distraction
- Watch a comforting show or video, maybe something nostalgic you grew up with.
- Do something with your hands: fold laundry, doodle, work on a puzzle.
- Use a grounding object like an ice cube, stress ball, or weighted blanket.
Small steps toward hope
- Write down one thing you’re looking forward to, even something simple like tomorrow’s coffee or watching a new episode of a show you’ve been watching.
- Create or reach for a “hope box” with photos, notes, or playlists that comfort you.
- Leave yourself a kind reminder: write it on a sticky note, set it as a phone reminder, or say it out loud. “I got through this moment.” or “I am more than this thought.”
Building a Safety Net
When suicidal thoughts show up, it can help to have something already in place that reminds you what to do and who to reach for. Think of it as a safety net, something you set up when you feel safe, that can catch you when things feel overwhelming.
Create a safety plan
- Write down warning signs you notice before things get worse (certain thoughts, feelings, or behaviors).
- Write down coping strategies that have helped you in the past – music, grounding, calling someone, journaling.
- Save contact info for people you trust and professionals who can support you.
- Note safe places you can go if being at home feels too hard.
Keep a “hope box”
- Fill a box (or an album on your phone) with items that comfort you: photos, letters, uplifting notes, playlists, small objects that remind you of good moments.
- When thoughts feel heavy, reach for one thing from the box as a reminder of reasons to hold on.
Plan for connection
- Think about one or two people you trust and let them know ahead of time that you might reach out if things get heavy. That way, when the moment comes, you don’t have to explain everything. They’ll already understand.
- In the moment, a simple text like “I’m having a hard time, can you be with me?” can be enough.
Seek professional support for lasting healing
- Seek therapy that goes deeper than surface-level coping. Approaches like EMDR, Brainspotting, or trauma-focused therapy can address the underlying depression, trauma, or chronic pain that contributes to suicidal thoughts by helping you heal at the root, not just manage symptoms.
Resources & Crisis Support
If suicidal thoughts feel too heavy to manage on your own, please reach out. Support is available right now:
- National (U.S.): Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line).
- Colorado: Call 1-844-493-8255 or text TALK to 38255.
- Washington: Call 1-866-427-4747 (Crisis Connections).
- Illinois: Call 1-866-359-7953 (Warm Line) or use 988 for crisis response.
- Outside the U.S.: Find international hotlines at findahelpline.com.
- For ongoing professional support in Colorado, Washington, or Illinois, Mindful Springs Counseling offers trauma-informed therapy approaches that address underlying causes. Call (833) 379-5206 or visit mindfulsprings.com.
If you’re worried about your immediate safety, calling 911 or going to an emergency room is always okay — your safety matters most.
Gentle Reminder
Suicidal thoughts can feel heavy, but they don’t define who you are. You are not alone. If you’ve read this far, you’ve already shown courage. Suicidal thoughts may visit, but they don’t decide your worth or your future. Support is available, hope is possible, and your life has value.
Mindful Springs Counseling is a nationwide mental health center specializing in non-traditional therapy services like Brainspotting and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy and 100% independently owned by Aimee Solis, Founder and Executive Director. Mindful Springs has locations in Colorado, Washington and Illinois.