Shannon, not her real name, was 11 years old when she went through the upheaval of moving to a new secondary school. Not long after, her grandfather died, affecting her deeply. In a new environment, she did not feel close enough to her classmates to share her feelings. Nor did she feel comfortable confiding in her family.
With no outlet for her emotions, Shannon went through long periods of sadness. “I felt very tired and didn’t have much appetite. On bad days, I felt like I couldn’t breathe,” she said. Suicidal thoughts often crept into her mind when she felt stressed, she said, like when she had a lot of tests at school.
Fortunately, she met a confidante in a counsellor at the school. Through sharing sessions, she could release negative thoughts.
Despite this support, Shannon reached rock bottom and on several occasions attempted suicide. But each time fate intervened and thwarted her plans.
Shannon continued to receive help from her counsellor and eventually learned to manage her negative emotions. “I would encourage people with suicidal tendencies to be proactive in finding people to help them. For me, [my counsellor] was not just a cheerleader. She really walked with me through my difficulties,” Shannon said.
While counselling Shannon was a very time-consuming experience, her former counsellor said it was encouraging to see her progress.
