The simplest acts of humanity have the potential to ripple far beyond what we can see. Each moment of compassion we extend becomes part of a larger tapestry of care, and this can be particularly vital in places where lives intersect in fleeting yet profound ways.
Depending on location and size, the average supermarket has capacity for around 200-250 customers. Numbers will vary on different days and times of the week, and times of year! We also know that at any given time 1 in 20 people will be having thoughts of suicide. Approximately 12 people in a store with 250 shoppers, and that is before we include the number of supermarket employees, so the figure will be higher.
When you next walk into a busy supermarket, give a thought to the likelihood that there will be at least 12 people in that very supermarket who might be struggling to survive, who may be somewhere along the continuum of suicide – the pathway towards suicide.
Suicide is not a choice. It occurs when pain exceeds our ability to cope with pain, pain which could be physical, emotional, or both. So, the next time you visit your local supermarket, remember that you have the agency not just to buy groceries, but to ease someone’s pain, if only in a small way, but perhaps enough to move them that little bit further away from suicide.
Too often we believe something overly cerebral is required to ensure suicide does not take place, a suicide intervention perhaps (and yes these are vital!) but oftentimes it is the little everyday things we do that make someone’s life that little bit easier to cope with and the pain a little bit less. Small differences are big differences because they have the power to save lives…
- Maybe let the person behind you go to the cashier before you because you have more groceries than them.
- Maybe give the person next to you a smile, even when this might be an awkward thing for you. Smiling does not come easy to everyone, despite what people think. I am Autistic, my natural face is not a smiley one, it takes effort.
- Maybe offer to carry a bag for someone who is struggling to do this.
- Start a conversation with someone who looks like the need a friend, or even someone who doesn’t – looks can be deceptive.
This world we live in is not a hospitable environment for everyone, so anything you can do to make it an easier place to stay could be lifesaving.
If you or someone you know needs support for thoughts of suicide, help is available from www.HubofHope.co.uk
