Suicide Prevention Saturday - 211 and how to use it

All right, so yeah, we're not gonna chat. Okay, hi, it says you're live. All right, it means it's 9 o'clock on Saturday for Suicide Prevention Saturday because it's Saturday, so that's when we do this, and 9 o'clock is when we try to do this. So for all of you who are already here, DJ Gun Websites, PNW Woods, um, since, you know, DJs made sure that I say PNW Woods versus PN Woods, but whatever, um, Saturday, because 2 of every 3 gun deaths you hear about when they're talking about gun violence are suicides. So if we want to save lives, we should be talking about suicides, mental health. And lately I've been realizing that mental health thing, if we actually pay attention to mental health and prevent people from killing themselves, that'd be a good thing. But if we address mental health, we also help address violence. Because what is violence? Violence is when communication is broken down so far that people don't know what else to do and they start getting violent. So mental health covers a lot of things. So, uh, hello Mike White. Um, and you know, I, I will do this thing, go hi, um, so people don't think I am really just making up stuff. See, PNW Woods is really out there, so is DJ. Well, actually DJ's in here and out there, um, because he's multitasking like that. And then of course G Webs with the first thumbs up. So he's not slacking today because I believe last week he was number 2. And then I know there'll be another one because DJ will only give thumbs up at the end of the show when it's actually good. So, oh, look, and we got our Fiona. There she is. Yes, Fiona had great stress management today. She actually got to go to the range and shoot a bunch of stuff. So I saw pictures of her target. Yes. Thumbs up for me and for you for getting the range. I've been on the range on and off all day in between our thunderstorms, so it's been fun. Okay, so I'm actually going to stay on target— on target— on topic tonight. Uh, I'm pretty sure I said I'm going to let you know about 211 and talk about a little bit more. It has been a very useful resource over the past 2 weeks. I have, um, what the heck have I had? Oh, dude, Banner. We forgot the banner. Okay. Yeah. All right. Sorry. Um, as DJ's popping things up in the chat, wait, no, in the chat on YouTube, I realized that, oh yeah, there, there's that. Um, all right. So back to the beginning, sort of-ish. 211 as a resource, been used a lot in the past 2 weeks. I have various people calling me because they have people that they are supporting who are suicidal or considering suicide, that sort of thing. And just that in and of itself tends to be a traumatic event, because when someone calls you and reaches out to you and says, I think I'm gonna kill myself, what the heck do you do with that other than, okay, let's not do that? That's kind of the obvious thing. The next thing is, well, what can I do to help you? And usually the person who's in the place where they think that they want to end their lives because everything sucks is not the most resourceful place to be, and they probably don't know. So for all of the folks who have called me to ask me what would I do, my whole thing is that QPR training. And, uh, question— so that's number 1: are you going to kill yourself, or do you think you want to kill yourself? Um, persuade and refer. So the referral is where the 211 comes in. Now below it says locally 211. Crisis, the 800-273-8255 number, is the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, which is also what DJ had put in a talk on YouTube side of things. So today I happen to have someone— one of my students is a board member on the 211 committee. It is a nonprofit group that kind of coordinates and puts all this stuff together, so I learned a bunch of stuff. So now I'm going to share that stuff with you guys. So off to the screen we go. First thing I did is I just went to DuckDuckGo and I put in 211 and it brings you to the essential community services from your United Way. Once you click on that, it brings you to the main page and it lets, asks you, what do you, what are you looking for? And did you know, If you are missing food, if you need mental health, if you're new to the US, your local 211. And when you scroll down further, they just have more stuff. So 211 is not just about crisis. It's not just about, um, needing mental health. It's all sorts of stuff. So when you want to find your local 211, you click on that and it brings you here. You put in your zip code. Once you click search, it then comes up with your local, uh, one because each 211, even though it's the same across the country, um, you have different resources depending on where you are. So you can call 211, they have an 800 number for you, or you can click on the online stuff. So here in Connecticut, for example, They offer COVID test sites, find resources that you need. Now, I don't know how well you guys can see that. I'm actually going to zoom this in a wee bit more. Oh, I thought I had that zoomed in before. But for those of you who've been with me for a while, one of the things we talked about, I mean, obviously we're talking about mental health. So you click on that and see what it brings you. Notice suicide is one of the first things that pops up here, right? And there is other help. Now, unfortunately, I cannot— I don't know why it keeps going small. Sorry, I thought I had these all enlarged. That's why I had them up ahead of time. So mental health care, counseling services, referrals. One other thing I learned about this is that as far as the counseling service and referrals, they only refer to other nonprofit other nonprofits, groups. So I'm trying to scroll down on that page. So there we have it. So there's tons of stuff. Now, I don't even know what else to tell you guys, but that's kind of it, right? There are resources out there. The nice thing about, um, 211— the other thing I learned, you know, because we're, we're all on our cell phones, right? So if I'm in Nevada, which is where I might be next month for vacation, and I call from my 860, my Connecticut telephone, and I'm in Nevada and I call 211, it doesn't matter that this is a Connecticut cell phone. It will automatically connect to the local 211 number. Now, more exciting news, there's going to be a national 988, which is going to go to Lifeline counselors. And that's for, like, we have 911 everywhere. The 988 is going to be specifically for people in crisis, because the way that the lady had discussed it was when you call your doctor's office and said, if this is true emergency, call 911. 988 is sort of another thing, as well as 211. And because just because you're in crisis does not necessarily mean that you need 911, because 211 has mental health, has finance, has food. These are the things that most people have stress over and cause stress. So, um, and hello, Miss Tara. Um, so DJ put up 211 and 988. Now the one thing is 988 is not up and running yet. It's getting ready to roll out. I think it's like 2 years past due, but isn't everything about 2 years off? Right about now. Um, so yeah, so 211 is the newest and most interesting, um, thing that I didn't realize have so many resources. Because why are we depressed? Because we don't have stuff that we need. Why do we call it anxiety and fear? Oh, that would also be because we don't have stuff that we have. Um, so being able to get mental health care, being able to get fuel assistance, getting food, like finding places where there's food and that sort of thing. So, uh, much more useful than, um, just mental health stuff, I guess, is my point. And apparently they even have tax preparation services for you. So if you didn't do your 2021 taxes, you can call 211 and they will take care of your taxes for you. So there's all sorts of cool stuff. So resources, resources, resources. I know when I started doing this, I always want to be able to give out some. I know last week I kind of did a whole bunch of stuff. This week I wanted to try, try 211, at least one very specific thing that will help you financially, mentally, and also if you're the person who's supporting other people, to use that as a resource to push them to. And this is why the QPR stuff is important, because if you, if the answer, the question has been asked, if someone is in distress, then you know where you can refer them to. And then you can persuade them to go to the thing that you referred them. Obviously you cannot take a horse to water and make them drink. However, it's nice to know where the watering hole is. All right. So that's what I got for you. It has been a crazy day right now. There are fireworks going off in the county next door, Litchfield, and I get to listen to them from here. We never do fireworks on holiday weekends, we go to the other ones. I don't know why, but I hope you all are having an amazing July 2nd. Uh, earlier today I was on G-Web's, uh, Every Second Matters, um, for the first like half an hour or so because it's— I've been online in between different classes Um, and oh wait, silly me. Okay, so like DJ says, if you are helping people, you also need to know how to help yourself, right? So actually, we talk about this a lot as far as EMTs, emergency room workers, firefighters, and police. Those are the people that even need more special assistance. Oh, I hate it when that happens. Yeah, well, oh wait, Tarn, have you ever heard of Critter Ear? They have, um, their earmuffs for your dog when you're at the range. So this time of year when you know there's going to be fireworks all over the place, Critter Ear might help you. And the owner of Critter Ear is one of the DC Project Ladies, so, you know, win-win. You support a small female-owned business who's also a Second Amendment advocate and help your dog be less freaked out by thunder and fireworks. So anyway, I digress. I don't know if G-Webs knows about Critter Ear or not, but yeah, and I don't have the— so DJ, you can go look it up, I suppose. I think it's literally Critter Ear. It's really cute pictures and stuff. So I don't see— now I'm gonna have to look it up. But anyway, so that's kind of it for today. Um, 2-1-1: know resources, have ways to, um, find stuff that will support you and support, um, the people around you. And here it is, earplugs made just for dogs. And, uh, That's what we got. That's the end. That's all I can think of. So less than 15 minutes today. Ha! It's a small miracle. Oh, and of course I only put it in YouTube. For those of you who are on the Facebook side, let me drop that there for you. Voilà! Now I put it everywhere so everyone can get critters for their dogs that are freaked out by all of the, um, Thunderworks, Thunderworks fireworks that are happening. So we had a big thunderstorm this afternoon in between my students, just before this. So Every Second Matters on G Web's channel. And what else? Oh, Play Society podcast at 1 o'clock this afternoon. So y'all can go watch those if you— this 10 or 15 minutes was not enough of moi. So I think that's everything. Everybody got anything else they want to talk about? Suggestions, ideas for future Suicide Prevention Saturdays. Like I said, last weekend, lots of different ways to feed your brain positive things. This weekend, how to support yourself and support others. Next weekend will probably also come to me in the middle of the week and I'll forget and I'll make it up on next Saturday. So, well, here's the deal. You can always try and find out. Um, and definitely I got, I have to say I don't have them, although I'm considering getting them for my dog when we are watching TV. Cause every time there's a knock on the door or another dog barking on the TV, our dog goes totally nutty. So yes. And here I will, you know, in case anyone doesn't just, just got here. So yes. Earplugs just for doggies. Let's see, protect dogs and calming fears. So you can even watch all the little videos and stuff. And because like when I first heard about this, I thought they were like actual earmuffs for dogs. For those of you who, if you follow Mason Lane, I'm pretty sure he has these for his dog because, oh my gosh, his dog is so cute. His dog has safety glasses. For while they're on the range. It's adorable. So, all right, ladies and gentlemen, 2-in-1, lots of resources. Uh, G Web's glad that I could teach you about something you didn't know because you're a pretty knowledgeable kind of guy. And they are relatively new, like last couple years sort of thing. And by all means, shoot me a note, text me. Uh, you can find me easily on agsss.com. And let's see, what's something else that I always want people to know? You are not alone. Reach out. It's always a good thing in that none of us are alone, but we feel very lonely often. And sometimes you can make yourself feel better simply by reaching out to somebody else. So if you don't feel great, go check in on somebody else. Because when we serve others, we definitely feel better in general, and it makes us happier. And happiness is the key to it all. Smeggy, of course. Hi. Why are you— where's the dog? We were just talking about dogs. Wait, we even have pictures of dogs. Ready? This is going to be the never-ending thing. Better than dog earmuffs, right? In case you didn't know, critter ear. Because yes, we got to watch Smeggy's dog on, um, gun websites, uh, thingy earlier, uh, Every Second Matters. All right, as per usual, it took me 3 minutes to say goodbye, uh, when we've only been on here for 10 minutes. So that's it. 211 resources for yourself and others when in need, whether it's food, money, bills, mental health. Um, if you are in a position to become a counselor, we need more counselors, by the way. There's a huge shortage of counselors, psychiatrists, all of those things. So there's lots of ways that you can help. And now I'm really gonna sign off for real, and I'm gonna go to bed and enjoy sleeping in tomorrow. So I hope you all have a great Fourth, and, um, you know, enjoy and celebrate the fact that we are Americans and we have freedom, and it is just an amazing world.