When we are open to communication, that is us acknowledging the flames. A person who shares their pain is being vulnerable. Being vulnerable can be frightening and difficult. By finding someone who we can feel safe with, we make it easier to be vulnerable. For example, have you ever had a pet that you told your secrets to? It may be because we're with that animal often, all they can do is listen, and we know that they won't spill our secrets to others. So what about other humans?

Being someone who is willing to talk about suicide, depression, and self harm can be an intimidating task; but it is worthwhile. Imagine you had the opportunity to save someone's life by miraculously taking away their disease: would you do it? Now imagine you could save someone's life just by listening to them and helping them talk about their feelings. Would you do it? Talking about suicide and depression and self harm can be intimidating because we may not be sure what to say. I'm here to tell you that it's not too scary. You can do it! That goes for both the person experiencing the depression and the person who is supporting them through it.

To go back to the illustration of fire, listening is similar to monitoring and directing the fire. Left unchecked or ignored, fire can get out of control. However, when people monitor and control the fire it can result in good health for a forest. Similarly with depression, if we continue to talk about it, monitor it, express our feelings and thoughts - we enable ourselves and others to work with the emotions, thoughts, and feelings. This could allow for new ways of thinking and coping with the depressing thoughts and beliefs.