WEBVTT

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every day , Airman face overwhelming

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challenges . At the end of the calendar

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year 2019 there were , ah , 137

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total air . Four deaths by suicide

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based on the statistics so went out ,

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there may be contemplating suicide ,

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possibly at this very moment when an

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individual expresses suicide and may

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not be that they want it in their life .

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But they may just want to end the pain

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to the currently in . Someone we know

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work with , or maybe even ourselves ,

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have at one point experience suicidal

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thoughts or desire to in our pain , not

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knowing how to in this pain , it's like

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encountered a massive roadblock . When

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encountering this barrier , we may

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think we need Teoh leap over our

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problems in one single strike , and no

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doubt that seems impossible . And if

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that's what living looks like

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impossible , the 1 may start to think

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that dying is their only other option .

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Stress is a normal part of all of our

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lives . We can be more aware of the

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common signs of stress than conquering

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the hurdles that arise . They become a

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little bit more manageable in orderto

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avoid or mitigate distress , often

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times when the stress becomes

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overwhelming , impacts us both

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physically , mentally and socially .

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Physically . 1 may notice disruption to

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the sleep patterns or even experienced

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appetite changes , which made

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negatively impact our overall health .

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Some may experience emotional or

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psychological term or leading to an

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overwhelming sense of anger .

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Irritability , anxiety or maybe even

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hopeless is for those who experienced

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the stress may socially withdraw our

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isolate . We've been disengaged in the

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activities that they enjoy it . When

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these dresses add unto each other ,

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they may become unmanageable . For some ,

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however , incorporating the four ems of

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mental illness into our daily life can

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help us conquer the roadblocks that we

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experience . The first M of mental

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illness is meaningful connection .

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Establishing meaningful connections

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with others is a valuable tool in the

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prevention or mitigation of suicide .

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As airman , we must be active in

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reaching out to those who are in

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distress and also seeks support .

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Secondly , engaging in mastery is

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essential to promoting mental illness .

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Mastery involves focusing on your

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strengths and your positive attributes ,

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for instance , were filling down and

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may be helpful to reflect and times of

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resilience . Often , when we

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experienced hard times , we feel that

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there is no end thinking back on

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experience in which you have overcame ,

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for instance , may be basic training or

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taking a very challenging academic

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course or even completing a marathon

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can all enhance your motivation to

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persevere to the current moment .

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Additionally , practicing mindfulness

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give me off . Being mindful of our

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emotions can help us differentiate

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between what is and what is not in our

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control . Focusing on what is in our

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control , while also practicing

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gratitude or being thankful for what is

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going well in your life may help to

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further promote resilience . Lastly ,

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engaging in movement is the fourth M of

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mental illness . Movement involves

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taking action when the stress becomes

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overwhelming . So much to promoting our

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physical health . It is also important

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to note that mental illness must be

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exercised . We all get to choose how we

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exercise our missile Wilders , whether

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it be talking toe others or engaging

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creative activities or even practicing

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meditation . Whatever we do , it should

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be regular and intentionally so . If

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you find yourself or someone you know

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is struggling to implement these four

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ends of mental illness or experience

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difficulty coping with their internal

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pain , it is a point to know how to

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seek support For instance , if you were

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thinking about dying , who would you

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tell your friends , your family ? Your

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fellow airman ? Anyone ? Many who

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experienced size of suicide may feel

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that they have no one that turns . Many

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individuals are like a dormant volcano .

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No one can see the lava boiling on the

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inside . They just see the unexpected

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eruption in it . So instead of being a

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by standard of the aftermath of this

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volcano , eruption way can all learn

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how to identify the stress in ourselves

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to mitigate the probability of suicide .

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But what if you're not the one that's

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currently in distress , but you see

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someone else who is ? What ? If you see

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the signs and signals in your spice

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sense is telling you someone needs help .

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Often , it's not so much that we don't

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want to help . It's more that we don't

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know how to . That's why I wanted to

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share with you an important acronym to

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keep in mind when helping a person in a

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state of distress method of ace ask

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care escort . The idea of the high

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learning ace isn't so that you become a

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subject matter expert on suicide

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prevention . It is about empowering you

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with confidence to help someone else

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who is hurting . So the first step in a

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space ask . It's important to ask

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someone directly . Are you having

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thoughts of suicide , or do you have a

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plan to kill yourself and asking

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someone if they're having thoughts of

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suicide ? This can often be the hardest

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step to overcome . There is a common

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myth that believes that talking about

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suicide might cost someone to consider

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for the first time , this just not true .

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Talking openly and honestly about

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suicidal thoughts and feelings has the

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opposite effect and can help save a

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life . So when you ask , it's important

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to be clear in your communication by

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asking , Are you thinking of suicide ?

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In this direct on biased manner ,

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you're opening the door to effective

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dialogue about suicide in a non

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judgmental , a supportive way most

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often for those who are struggling with

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thoughts of suicide . They're hoping

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someone will ask . They're looking for

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someone to show care someone that that

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shows that they matter and that there

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is hope . Remember that signs of

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distress or not , just a warning sign

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that the person is thinking about

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suicide . It's often a cry for help ,

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so After you ask , you'll move into the

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next step . That next step is care . So

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when you care , this is caring about

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that person's well being , providing

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that meaningful connection . This part

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of aces , where you'll spend a majority

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of your time don't rush this moment .

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One of the greatest gifts that we can

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give someone is the opportunity to be

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listened to . It's been said that God

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gave us two ears and one mouth for a

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reason , and we portray the care we

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want to convey by listening to the

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heart of someone else . So listen and

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listen . Nonjudgmental e let them vent .

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Unload their feelings . No matter how

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negative the conversation may seem ,

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the fact that it's taking place is a

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positive one . Communicate empathy and

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listen to what that person is saying

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and feeling . You may not fully

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understand what they're going through

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that's okay . What's important is that

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you're accepting of what they're saying ,

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acknowledging it and genuinely trying

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to imagine what that might be like for

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them . This can be done through active

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listening , paraphrasing , clarifying

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eye contact . And remember that silence

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That's okay , too . Sometimes we become

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comfortable with silence and

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conversation , but allowing the other

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person that space and control can

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empower them to process their own

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thoughts , feelings and emotions that

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have been so overwhelming . I believe a

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big key and caring is to be patient and

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respectful . Carry these scenes with

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you as you care for someone else . When

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you listen and genuinely care , you

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provide a calming positive impact that

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will leave to who and what will be the

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most effective sources of help . Which

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brings us toe escort . This step takes

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place after a person has expressed

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thoughts of self harm or suicide , and

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you've demonstrated that you've cared .

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This provides the opportunity for that

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individual to get professional help

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that they need the goal for you as the

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caregiver is to empower without

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overwhelming them in this process , by

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letting them choose between 2 to 4

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appropriate resource is that you have

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available here a Kirtland Air Force

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base . Some option you might find

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helpful or commander , supervisor ,

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military , one source and flak chaplain ,

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mental health , national suicide

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prevention hotline , emergency room or

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even 911 And this is just a handful

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compared to the full amount of

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resources you have available to you .

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Most important part is getting the

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person toe any next level of care of

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resource . Do not leave a person in

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distress alone and follow up . In the

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days and weeks after connection , Toe

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help is made as one of these suicide

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prevention professionals . I can say

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that I wish I could be everywhere and

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for everyone , the greatest resource

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and suicide prevention that we have is

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each other . There are people who need

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your help , and that's why it's so

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important to practice self care both

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before and after a crisis situation .

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These types of encounters won't be easy ,

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but your confidence and support can

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make a huge difference in someone's

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life .

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Um , in the Air Force ,

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70% of suicide attempts involved the

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use of personally owned firearms . To

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combat this , the Air Force is

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employing a unique approach to suicide

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prevention called time based prevention .

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While combined with other prevention

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methods , this approach focuses on the

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means of suicide rather than the white

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of suicide . Specifically , time based

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prevention efforts are intended to

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eliminate the hazards of fire arms

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being readily available when an airman

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is in distress , particularly in the

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1st 5 minutes after deciding to take

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one's life research demonstrates that

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one in four suicides occur within the

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1st 5 minutes of an individual , making

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the decision toe harm themselves when

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using a firearm . 90% of these attempts

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are lethal . Any barriers in place to

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prevent the intended suicide method can

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be successful in stopping an attempted

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suicide , with most individuals never

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seeking access to another suicide

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method . Time based prevention focuses

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on proper storage off personal firearms ,

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which beyond numerous overall safety

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benefits for hospital occupants ,

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assists in creating life saving time

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between someone who is suicidal and

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lethal . Means safely stored firearms

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or firearm safely removed from their

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home and stored securely required

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deliberate access . Actions to operate ,

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creating a barrier and assisting in the

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prevention of suicide attempts Using

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firearms here , a

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Kirtland Air Force base . We must all

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be active in reaching out both to

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others who may be in distress and to re

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sources for yourselves and others