Aaron J,
On the ‘Signs of Suicide’ Campaign

The ‘S’ stands for sleep disturbance; the ‘I’ stands for isolation; the ‘G’ stands for giving away possessions; the ‘N’ stands for no interest in anything; and the ‘S’ stands for speaking of no future. It’s to help identify these tendencies in the early stages, where you can help somebody.

A lot of people have reached out and it’s beautiful to see so many being vulnerable and allowing themselves to open up to others. We live in a time now where everybody is dealing with something mentally. I’m so happy to be a part of something that I know is going to help a lot of people.

Being the person I am, I speak very openly about my mental health and how I feel about things – especially if I’m dealing with depression or anxiety. A lot of people say that you shouldn’t reveal how you feel online, but I feel like it gave me a lot of strength because I found out that nobody judged me. People praised it, people supported it. The minute I saw that, it made me become a little bit stronger myself too.

I encountered people listening to my music, who told me their stories and how they relate to what I say so much. How they went to get help because of some lyrics I wrote. It really put a bit of fire underneath me to keep making sure that people know this is what I’m about, this is who I am – showing that it’s totally fine to not be okay. That’s the beauty. I’m an emotional wreck. But I’m okay with that.

Read the full Hot Press Mental Health Special now in the current issue of Hot Press: