Another 13 reasons why you need to watch '13 Reasons Why'

It's been a solid seven months since I wrote a blog post. I never consciously chose to stop, but this week I found myself having a lot on my mind.

If you haven't already, you'll soon hear about the new Netflix show '13 Reasons Why.' Based on a book, Hannah Baker leaves behind 13 tapes with the 13 reasons why she felt her heart and spirit had been broken past the point of repair.

The 13 reasons why she decided ending her own life was the only answer.

While I try to prevent giving away too many spoilers, if you happen to be reading this before you've watched it, you need to. It is worth taking the time to watch 13 episodes that can give you some perspective into the lives of others. It has colorful language and a few really intense scenes, but that's what makes it so real.

I feel like every time I get on Facebook or listen to the news, another far too young person has made the choice to end their inner turmoil. While it is solely their choice to end their lives, there is so much more we all can do.

As I've seen people pour their hearts out onto the Facebook pages of those that have left, I've noticed a common theme. So many comments say how often this person smiled and was willing to help out anyone. Old friends conveying how they used to be close, but over time they had drifted. How shocked they were to see that someone who appeared to be so full of life was in so much pain.

Those looking for signs, here's the thing. It looks like nothing.

The fact of the matter is, no one can know how much someone is struggling. You might see that athletic, handsome guy with a lot of friends and think he has it all. When in reality, he struggles with depression and feels even more lonely than not when surrounded by others.

The smallest things we do can affect everything for someone. Whether's it's positive or negative.

As Hannah's friends struggle to know how to react to the tapes, several of them meet together often. They talk about how awful they feel about what they didn't do for Hannah and how any of them could have helped prevent the final outcome. Interestingly enough, while they did this they kept pushing away, and even bullying, another person.

While they were so concerned about what they didn't do for Hannah, they were doing the same kind of thing to someone else. Tyler cared about Hannah and didn't ever intentionally mean to hurt her while she was alive. He was then pushed away by those that felt the same guilt he did.

So while we should recognize what we could have done to help those that struggled and are no longer with us, don't let it stop there. Remember the living. Hannah discussed on one of her tapes how she wished someone would have shown they cared enough to not let her push them away.

People that choose suicide often do so because they feel like everyone they know would be better off without them. This is never true, but it can feel true.

The pain that someone felt before choosing suicide doesn't go away after they leave. It's just transferred to someone else.

'13 Reasons Why' shows the lasting effect suicide has on those left behind.

For Hannah's 13th reason she said she was going to give life one last chance. She spoke to Mr. Porter, the school counselor, and had mentioned how she just wished it would all stop. She received the message from him that sometimes you just need to 'move on' from things that happen to you.

Nothing feels worse than going to someone with a struggle and having it belittled. If someone comes to you, have an open heart and listen. You have no idea how much of a difference it could make for someone.

So while you write on the Facebook page of someone that left too soon, write on an old friend's facebook page too. No one can feel responsible if someone close to them chose suicide. It was their choice. But we can do more to make the people we know feel loved.

It has to get better. The way we treat each other. It has to get better somehow.

If you're the one struggling, it's important to reach out even if you've been burned in the past. If loved ones really knew how hard life seemed, they would do a better job letting you know how much you mean to them.

The minute you start talking about it, it gets easier. And just know that there's life beyond what you're feeling at the moment. I promise it will get better. There is an entire future of incredible things waiting for you, and if you go, you don't get to see it.