Finding the Light: Suicide Prevention Month

September is National Suicide Prevention Month—a time to bring awareness to suicide, encourage conversations about mental health, and remind people that they are never alone in what they are going through.

This is a topic that is deeply personal to me as I have struggled, and I know how dark and scary those moments can feel. When you are in that place, it can be incredibly difficult to imagine things getting better. It can feel like the pain you are experiencing is permanent and that there are no other options.

But there is always another solution.

That does not mean everything suddenly becomes easy or that the difficult thoughts disappear overnight. Sometimes finding your way out of a dark place takes time, support, patience, and a lot of work. You have to keep looking for the things that bring you even the smallest amount of light.

For me, one of those things has been Costal Customs.

What started as a small idea has become something that gives me a reason to create, dream, connect with people, and look forward to what comes next. It has given me something that feels like mine and something that brings me genuine happiness. There are days when it is simply a business, but there are also days when it has been so much more than that. It has been something to wake up excited about. Something to work toward. Something that reminded me that there could still be good things ahead.

I share this because I believe everyone needs something that gives them a reason to keep moving forward. It does not have to be a business. It could be a person, a hobby, music, animals, school, a creative outlet, a goal, a place, or even something as simple as having something to look forward to tomorrow.

Sometimes, you have to work to find your light.

And if you have not found yours yet, please keep looking.

Talk to someone. Ask for help. Tell someone that you are struggling, even if you do not know exactly how to explain what you are feeling. You do not have to carry everything by yourself, and asking for help does not make you weak.

If you are in a dark place right now, I hope you can remind yourself that the way you feel today does not have to determine what your future looks like. There can be another chapter, another opportunity, another person you have not met yet, another dream you have not discovered, and another reason to smile.

There is light, even when you cannot see it yet.

Please keep looking for it. 🤍