Your Song Isn't Over: Suicide Prevention Awareness Campaign 2018

The average recovery time for the common cold is about 5-7 days. The typical recovery time for a broken arm is between 3-6 months… But what is the recovery time for depression? From suicide? No one has been able to give me that answer.

Superbands was a passion project that was born in 2014 from my personal struggle with bullying, depression, self-harm and suicide. For as long as I can remember, looking in the mirror has always been a painful task. Feelings of discomfort in my own skin merely escalated in my teenage years as I faced bullying from my classmates after moving to a new town and struggled to fit in. Graduating high school, then college, were even bigger of an accomplishment for me than others could possibly imagine. There I was, at age 23, standing in my cap and gown when, at age 13, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to see tomorrow. To be standing on that stage with that diploma in hand, was truly my own kind of miracle.

Today, I am 26. For me to tell you that I have been completely “healed” from all of my inner hurtings and demons, would be a lie. Just as I was starting to finally feel okay, I faced an incredibly traumatic experience a few years ago that threw all of my progress away and I started again from scratch. I lacked the support system I truly needed at the time, and felt isolated and alone. A simple smile was an illusionary act that I had learned to perfect through the deep sadness I was facing inside. During that time, I discovered my own strength and my own ability to pick myself back up when it felt like it was impossible.

Today, for the first time in my life, I am actively seeking a therapist to work with weekly because I feel like I owe it to myself, owe it to Superbands, to take charge of my own mental health so I can continue to move forward and learn the best ways to approach situations that make me uneasy or conversations that may be triggering. I will continue to seek growth and push myself forward, and will be sharing snippets of my journey with you to assure each of you that this journey is not one that you need to face alone.

Your Song Isn’t Over is a campaign that blossomed from our team for September, National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, in the hopes of sharing hope and positivity, as well as providing educational content, around this global crisis. Our team has been deligently cranking out content and ideas to remind our audience why it is so important for them to press replay. Even with our limited resources, we are confident that this campaign will be our first big step forward with our efforts to educate and continue to inspire through music. Our goal is to remind you that your song isn’t over, and we are eager to hear from our audience about the songs that have keep them going even on their worst days.

So for the many people across the globe who have reached out to me thanking me for bringing Superbands to life, I wanted to take a moment to thank you - each and every one of you. Without this platform, without Superbands, I may not have had the strength to seek help or the drive to continue to push out our mission and vision to the world.

Even on the darkest days, we all have each other. Even when it’s hard, we will all press replay because our song isn’t over.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Jessica Villa, Superbands Founder and President, believes in the power behind the organization’s mission and strives everyday to share this vision with more people in the hopes of changing the stigma around mental health. Monday through Friday, she works as an IT project manager in the pharmaceutical field, and fills her time in-between with all things Superbands. She also loves spending time with her boyfriend and two dogs, Jax and Benji, going on adventures wherever the wind takes them to explore new places.

Connect with Jessica via her personal Instagram to catch snippets of her life.