MSI Press Blog

When the kids were little, we drove from Pittsburgh to Daytona Beach, Florida, to visit Donnie’s grandmother after Grandpa died. We spent some lovely days on the beach. Lizzie and Shane ran straight into the surf like they had been born with gills. Noelle, determined as always, figured out how to wade with her braces and crutches. (When we got home, we had to explain to the bracemaker how the ocean had “mysteriously” demolished them. He was not amused. Noelle was.) Doah, only a couple of years old, couldn’t run with the others. He still had his tracheotomy, so he and I sat in the sand building castles while Donnie supervised the older kids. It was one of the rare moments in those years when I felt relaxed — truly relaxed — because most of our time was spent in hospitals, clinics, or managing medical equipment at home. Sitting there with him, letting the sun warm us, I allowed myself to believe that everything was under control. And then the ocean reminded me that nothing is ever under ...

  We build defenses to survive. Ego to protect our worth. Fear to shield our vulnerability. Insecurity to preempt rejection. These defenses are clever. They keep us safe. They help us navigate a world that doesn’t always feel kind. But over time, they become walls. And walls don’t just keep danger out. They keep connection out. They keep joy out. They keep life out. To be the source of your own life is to begin dismantling those walls. Not all at once. Not recklessly. But gently, intentionally, with courage. 1. Ego says “I must prove myself” But you are already worthy. You don’t need to perform your value. You don’t need to win every argument. You don’t need to be right to be real. Letting go of ego makes room for truth. 2. Fear says “I must protect myself” But protection can become isolation. Fear can shrink your world until it’s too small to live in. Letting go of fear makes room for possibility. 3. Insecurity says “I must hide myself” But hiding is exhausting. A...

  When people think about suicide, they often picture depression — the heaviness, the hopelessness, the emotional collapse. Anxiety rarely gets mentioned. It’s seen as nervousness, worry, overthinking. But anxiety, especially when chronic or severe, has its own quiet relationship with suicide risk. It’s not the same relationship as depression. It’s sharper, more frantic, more driven by fear than despair. But it’s real. What the Research Shows Studies consistently find that people with anxiety disorders — panic disorder, generalized anxiety, PTSD, OCD, social anxiety — have higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors than the general population. The risk increases when: anxiety is long-standing or untreated anxiety coexists with depression anxiety leads to avoidance, isolation, or functional collapse anxiety triggers panic, agitation, or a sense of being trapped Anxiety doesn’t always look like a risk factor. Sometimes it looks like someone who’s “high-functioning,” “on edge...