1. Love letters and suicide notes are just different combinations of the same twenty-six letters. But killing yourself is not romantic like a love letter. Killing yourself is messy and it isn’t brave or beautiful or poetic or lovely. Someone will cry over you. Even if it’s your best friend or your old teacher or someone you said ‘hi’ to once in a cafe. Even if they didn’t, and even if you think no one will feel anything over your passing, you won’t be around to see it.

2. Dead trees can only stand for so long before they begin to fall. But you are not a dead tree. You are a human being and you are still living. Even if you cannot stand, physically or emotionally.

3. Music soothes your soul. I don’t care if they tell you to listen to happy songs instead -- if you love to listen to music and want to listen to sad songs then listen to sad songs when you’re sad. They will make you feel less alone.

4. If you want to, or if you can, surround yourself with people you love. Taking Advil to numb yourself from the pain does not work as well as dancing to One Direction with your favorite cousin, and it keeps you from ruining your internal organs.

5. Laying in bed crying all day can make you feel sticky and lazy and your puffy red eyes will make it more likely to sting when you blink. Instead of crying, count on your fingers and catch your breath.

6. Stay alive for little things, like your favorite cousins’ birthday parties or your graduation or the possibility of getting the job of your dreams. Death does not give you access to these things and they won’t be able to hear you getting mad and angry when they tear down your posters and sell off your books and CDs.

7. Don’t spend your time wondering why that one person from that one class doesn’t like you. It’s not important, and it’s almost never worth knowing.

8. Don’t let anyone force you into thinking that blood is thicker than water. An earlier proverb tells us that the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb, and even if these two phrases have nothing to do with each other familial bonds are not the most important bonds you can make.