Still Here (Even When I Don’t Want to Be)

Intro
This is a personal reflection written from a difficult place. It mentions a recent suicide attempt and the emotional aftermath. Please read gently, and take care of yourself as you go.


I am writing this from a hospital bed.

A few days ago, I tried to end my life. I overdosed, and I am still here. That fact alone feels complicated—like something I don’t fully know how to hold.

Part of me feels like a failure for not succeeding. That thought is hard to admit, but it’s there. It shows up quietly, almost logically, like it’s stating a fact. And yet, another part of me is still here, breathing, writing this, moving through the hours one by one.

Right now, what I feel most is not even sadness. It’s numbness.

A heavy kind of numbness. The kind that makes everything feel far away and unreal. My body feels tired, almost like I could fall asleep at any moment, but not in a peaceful way. There’s a dull, persistent headache. My vision blurs sometimes. My breathing feels short and shallow, like I can’t quite take in a full breath.

It’s strange to be in a place where I don’t want to be alive, but I also don’t have the energy to do anything about it. It feels like being stuck in between—between wanting to disappear and having no choice but to stay.

I don’t have answers right now.

I don’t have a plan for how to feel better or how to make sense of everything that led me here. Even the idea of “starting over” feels too big, too far away.

So I am not starting over.

I am starting smaller than that.

Right now, starting looks like noticing that I am breathing, even if it’s shallow. It looks like acknowledging the heaviness instead of fighting it. It looks like writing a few sentences to get through the next ten minutes.

It looks like staying.

Not forever. Not even for tomorrow.

Just for now.

And maybe that’s enough for this moment.


Closing Note
If you’re reading this and you recognize yourself in these words, you’re not alone—even if it feels that way. You don’t have to figure everything out today. Reaching out to someone you trust or a professional can make a difference, even if it’s just to get through the next moment. If you’re in immediate danger, please seek help right where you are.

For now, take this gently. One moment at a time.

Leave a comment