When I first signed up to volunteer as a peer supporter with Outlive Chat, a youth suicide prevention platform, I never anticipated how deeply it would affect me—not just as a volunteer, but as a human being. I had always believed in the power of conversation, but this experience taught me the transformative power of simply listening. 

Outlive Chat is a space where young people in crisis can reach out and talk—anonymously, safely, and without judgment. As peer supporters, our role wasn’t to fix things it wasn’t to diagnose or advice either. Rather, it was to be present, to listen, and to provide a none-judgmental space for someone when they felt invisible to the world. This may sound simple, but it can change, and save lives! 

A Mirror to My Inner Self 

Volunteering with Outlive as a peer supporter was not a usual volunteering activity, it was a door to self reflection. It reshaped my understanding of mental health, empathy, and resilience to a great extent. Each training session, each practice chat, and ultimately, each real chat that I engaged in was a reminder that pain doesn’t discriminate. It’s surprisingly true that Ddistress and depression don’t limit themselves to factors such as age, gender, background, or academic scores. Sometimes, the person on the other side is very similar to us, and it is this similarity that makes it challenging to stay neutral and not flow with emotions. The proximity—of experience, of age, of vulnerability—creates a bond that is profoundly human, a force which makes you think beyond the mundane routine of life. 

What surprised me was how much this role contributed to my own well-being. In trying to be a source of strength for others, I had to learn how to be kinder to myself, and the resources that were provided to us were a great help for us! Not to forget – our mentors being ever-available for us! It was such a relief to know that we won’t be alone if stuck. I remember being on a call with one of the peer mentors Ankita one night, after my shift, when I was stuck in a thought, and theyshe helped me out, giving me her time and undivided energy, which was so helpful! I slept with a grateful and peaceful mind that night, having felt supported and seen. That helped me understand how our effort through Outlive makes others feel!  

Being a peer supporter isn’t just being active on the other side, but it also takes a lot of work on your own self! I realized that I couldn’t pour from an empty cup, so I started checking in with myself more often. I learned to identify my triggers, manage emotional fatigue, and practice boundaries—skills I never thought I needed until I needed them every day. We also learnt about safety planning (which we made for ourselves, too) and ways to de-escalate in extreme situations.  

A special mentioned to our peer mentors, who used to help us debrief after each shift, make more sense of the happenings, de-roll and move ahead. They truly created a safe space for us peer supporters, who would sometimes find themselves in a fix! Each and everybody we met (offline or virtually) were of great help in this journey! 

A Chat That Stayed With Me 

There was one chat that will always stay with me. The support seeker was a student, who was overwhelmed with academic pressure, family expectations, and a crippling sense of failure. “Everyone expects me to succeed. But I don’t even want to wake up anymore,” they typed. In that moment, it still felt like a practice chat, for this was my first REAL chat! However, as the conversation flowed, I could understand that they felt at ease just by being heard, non-judgmentally. 

The ideal time for a chat was 45 minutes, however; this one went on for a bit longer! For over an hour, we talked—not just about school, but about their interest in art. Slowly, their tone grew interested, and the conversation flowed with ease. I didn’t give advice, just reflected back what I heard, acknowledged their feelings, and reminded them they weren’t alone. 

At the end of the chat, the support seeker said, “Thank you. I don’t feel like disappearing tonight.” That moment reminded me why I volunteered, why these spaces matter and what difference it can potentially create. 

Breaking Myths and Taboo 

Suicide, for many, is synonymous to stigma Suicide, for many, is surrounded by stigma. One may choose to talk about their greatest happiness, but what has been weighing upon them for weeks will not come out through talk unless they find a comfortable space to confide in – which is uncommon. There’s a dangerous myth that talking about it might encourage it, but my experience has taught me the opposite, especially after getting to volunteer with Outlive, I realized that talking and normalizing distress is the only way to create a vent for such emotions to not escalate. As they say – ‘Silence breeds shame, conversation opens doors’. 

Weakness, grief, burden, disinterest, fatigue – these are common symptoms, yet they go amiss because we a society failed to understand the underlying emotions behind such responses. What may look like an annoyed and irritated person may actually be a sign of deep loneliness within! It is important to take note, and that is what I learnt here! 

One major take-away from my training days was to understand that suicide does not make one a coward or a brave person – it is a result of extreme suffering. To say that one ‘committed’ suicide is to criminalize this state of pain, so, we must encourage the usage of ‘dying by’ suicide – something which I followed and spread across even after I discontinued my volunteering. 

Learnings and observations 

This experience taught me that: 

• Empathy is not about fixing; it’s about being present with them. 

• People are incredibly resilient, even when they don’t see it themselves – all you gotta do is tap into their potential of bouncing back to life! 

• Language matters—how we speak about mental health can either build stigma or break it. 

I also developed a deeper sense of gratitude – an outlook that changed my life. On days when I felt overwhelmed, I reminded myself of the strength it takes for someone to reach out in crisis – and tried to follow suit. That courage is something I’ll always respect—and it’s made me more tolerant, more aware, and more compassionate in all my relationships. This experience made me look at individuals in a much deeper sense, understanding that each one has struggles they don’t talk about (this especially dawned on me when I too faced the uneven roads of life a couple of months down the line). 

A Call to Potential Youth Volunteers 

To any young person wondering if they should volunteer in suicide prevention: undoubtedly yes! Not because you’ll “save lives” every time, but because you’ll grow. This experience will broaden your understanding of people as well as yourself. You’ll understand the world differently; the people you meet daily will suddenly see a change in the depth of your understanding, the empathy, the keen and conscious communication skills, and emotional intelligence. At Outlive, you’ll find like-minded people who believe in doing something that can create a difference for someone you may not know; they believe in the power of human connect, in being there for someone, in miracles that follow, and in efforts that show someone that we care. 

 What It Meant to Me 

Volunteering with Outlive Chat was not just about supporting others—it was about discovering me. It helped me realize that healing is a two-way street. While I was there to listen, I found pieces of my own story reflected in those I spoke to, which sometimes made it difficult to neutrally listen to the other. In helping them find light, I found a little more of my own; in a world that often tells us to be strong, this experience taught me the strength in softness. In short, the experience showed me that there is bravery in saying, “I’m not okay,” and there is grace in saying, “I’m here.” 

I’m very thankful to the entire Outlive team Chetana, Ankita, Arjun, and the entire team and stakeholders of Outlive, who chose me to be onboard with them. Without them, it wouldn’t have been as insightful a journey as it had turned out to be! Thank you for the arrangements made for us during training sessions, the check-ins, the online sessions, and the will to keep moving forward through improvement and feedback! “I’m grateful for the thoughtful training, the check-ins, and the culture of care that made this journey possible.” 

I appreciate the working system, the lack of rigid hierarchy, and the motive of helping! I hope it grows larger and reaches out to those who need it, and who may be able to take it up in the best spirit!