Helpful Neurons
Staying alive is decision no. 1.
Feel invited to read on here and explore alternatives to the situation interactively – a situation that is hard right now, possibly very hard.
Feel invited to look at your situation from several perspectives that are not yet visible right now.
Helpful Neurons – Helpful connections in life: in your own mind, in your family, with your friends, on the phone
What do I do in the next ten minutes?
Call now: 988 in the USA or 116 123 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. A person will listen to you, day and night. Or say to a friend or a neighbor: “I’m not doing well right now. Can you stay with me for a bit?”
What always holds true, even when a lot is hard right now?
- What is happening right now. Anyone who feels pain, grief or great anger sees only a small part of the situation and of the possibilities!
- What I do now. There is always a next step: I call one of the numbers above or write three names on a piece of paper.
- What makes it worth it. Inside me there are many sides that want to live and to love. And out there, so many are waiting for me right now: people who love me, a pet that trusts me, favorite places, friends, acquaintances and also people I never knew cared about me and value me.
Which page do I open next?
- Next-Steps Plan
A sheet to print. Write down by hand whom you call in a hard hour.
- Reasons to live
Laughing with people you like, a sunrise, a project of your own: a list to read slowly.
- Helpful connections
People to call, crisis lines by chat and a new sentence for your mind: “I can try.”
- Prompts
Ready questions about work, money, new people and learning. One click opens them in a search or an AI chat.
- For family and friends
What to say and do when someone close to you is struggling, for example your son or a friend.
- After a suicide attempt
For the weeks afterwards: whom to talk to and what to tell others.
- Science
Studies on Next-Steps Plans, on letters after a crisis and on belonging, each with a DOI.
- Crisis hotlines worldwide
Phone numbers in Europe, the Americas, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, with opening hours.
What does a turning point feel like?
A turning point is a moment of clarity, an “aha”. The thought “I want to die” becomes the thought “I want to live differently”.
Often the turn bubbles up from a completely unexpected source.
The first step toward it is self-compassion: today, speak to yourself as you would to a dear friend. All five steps to the turning point are in the Next-Steps Plan.
Which pain is at the center for you right now?
Every person has the right, first and foremost, to be heard and seen – without any attempt to cheer them up or to offer a solution.
Lost my job and money worries
Answer with warmth and without pressure, and work with me constructively. If a person has lost their job and has money worries, is it understandable that they long for something completely different in life? What have people in such situations already done? Tell me right away what can come once the financial hardship has been overcome, and back it up with scientific studies.
fresh start after unemployment and debt
The buttons open services of other providers. Only the text of the prompt or the search goes there, and only with your click. Some services can ask you to sign in, and costs can apply. After signing in, it can be necessary to paste the text again. Answers from an AI can contain errors.
Argument with a partner
Answer with warmth and without pressure, and work with me constructively. If a person has had a fierce argument with their partner, is it understandable that they long for something completely different in life? What have people in such situations already done? Tell me right away what can come once the argument no longer dominates everything, and back it up with scientific studies.
after a big fight with your partner
The buttons open services of other providers. Only the text of the prompt or the search goes there, and only with your click. Some services can ask you to sign in, and costs can apply. After signing in, it can be necessary to paste the text again. Answers from an AI can contain errors.
Child has turned away
Answer with warmth and without pressure, and work with me constructively. If a person’s own child has turned away, is it understandable that they long for something completely different in life? What have people in such situations already done? Tell me right away what can come even while contact is still missing, and what parents have done to keep a door open, and back both up with scientific studies.
estranged adult children parents
The buttons open services of other providers. Only the text of the prompt or the search goes there, and only with your click. Some services can ask you to sign in, and costs can apply. After signing in, it can be necessary to paste the text again. Answers from an AI can contain errors.
Lost my job
Answer with warmth and without pressure, and work with me constructively. If a person has lost their job, is it understandable that they long for something completely different in life? What have people in such situations already done? Tell me right away what can come once the loss of the job has been overcome, and back it up with scientific studies.
new career after unemployment
The buttons open services of other providers. Only the text of the prompt or the search goes there, and only with your click. Some services can ask you to sign in, and costs can apply. After signing in, it can be necessary to paste the text again. Answers from an AI can contain errors.
Business in a difficult situation right now
Work with me constructively. If a person’s own company is in a difficult situation, does it seem understandable that they long for a big change, for a better and carefree life? What have people in such situations already done? What surprising turns are possible even in complex circumstances, such as cases from economic history in which business owners achieved a happy turnaround? Back this up with scientific studies and press reports, each with a link. Show me what is invisible at first glance.
company turnaround examples business history
The buttons open services of other providers. Only the text of the prompt or the search goes there, and only with your click. Some services can ask you to sign in, and costs can apply. After signing in, it can be necessary to paste the text again. Answers from an AI can contain errors.
Bereavement
Answer with warmth and without pressure, and work with me constructively. If a loved one has died, is it understandable that a grieving person longs for something completely different in life? What have people in such situations already done? Tell me right away what can come once the first hard time of grief has been lived through, and back it up with scientific studies.
grief support after bereavement
The buttons open services of other providers. Only the text of the prompt or the search goes there, and only with your click. Some services can ask you to sign in, and costs can apply. After signing in, it can be necessary to paste the text again. Answers from an AI can contain errors.
What will I find on this site?
Here you will find phone numbers of crisis lines, a Next-Steps Plan to print and ready questions for a search or an AI chat. Messages to the contact address are not read in real time. If you need help now, call a number at the top of this page.