Len Lear hit it out of the ballpark with the Jamie Polson story (“Local performer moves audience with song on suicide,” Oct. 11.) Polson, a local musician, wrote a vulnerable song about suicide called “I’m Glad You’re Here.”

I was the unnamed reader quoted in the article after hearing Polson play the tune at a Thursday night open mic at Malelani Café. As a suicide survivor, I got goosebumps, sat up and listened, because so many people in my life are glad I’m here, too.

Polson had thoughts but no plan. I had thoughts and what I believed was a foolproof plan, yet I survived. Why? To shine my light during a season when we have less of it. The run-up to the holidays is its own kind of hard: shorter days, pressure to feel festive, money and family stress, and grief all stack up.

Anticipating the season can be heavier than the season itself.

October is best known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but it is also National Depression Education and Awareness Month. Each year, suicide takes more American lives than breast cancer, yet it gets a fraction of the attention.

According to the CDC, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2024, and the second leading cause for people ages 10 to 44. Don’t become another statistic, as I almost did.

If you’re feeling sad as the days shorten, you may have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Here’s what helps:

Light: Get outside within an hour or two of waking, even on gray days. Outdoor light is far stronger than indoor light. A 10,000-lux light box in the morning is a well-studied option.

Routine: Keep sleep, meals and movement steady. Mood dips deepen when structure slips.

Contact: Put a standing plan with a person on the calendar each week, even a short one. Withdrawing feels right when you’re low, but it usually makes things worse.

Small, doable things: A walk, a phone call, one finished task. Aim for momentum, not a big overhaul.

Watch the pattern: If it returns every fall, tell your family doctor and get treatment. If it lasts more than two weeks, affects sleep or appetite, or makes daily life hard, see a therapist.

Have a plan for the holidays. Think ahead about how you’ll get through the difficult stretch between now and the New Year. It’s okay to sit a holiday out, or you choose to serve at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving instead of a dysfunctional family meal.

If your drinking ramps up, take the 26-question quiz from the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and get into treatment.

The number-one reason people don’t get help is stigma. The word comes from the Greeks, where in ancient times “undesirables” were branded with burn marks so everyone could see they were to be avoided. Today the branding is done through shunning, gossip and judgment.

Help is available 24 hours a day. If things ever feel heavier than low mood, call or text 988. In Philadelphia, call the Suicide and Crisis Intervention Line at 215-686-4420. In Montgomery County, call 610-279-6100.

Support groups are available. You don’t need to suffer in silence.

Founder of The Joy Club, Barbara Sherf can be reached at NoteToBarb@gmail.com and will be sharing her story at 2 p.m. during a Nov. 22 storytelling event produced by the Patchwork Storytelling Guild. It’s a pay-what-you-can event, but you must register to get a seat at the handicapped-accessible Rotunda, on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, 4014 Walnut St. For details and to register go to www.patchworkstorytelling.org.

Barbara Sherf

Mt. Airy