The word “pain” was used 23 times in 2018-2019, 30 times in 2020-2021, and 35 times in 2022-2023. The word “struggling” was used 14 times in 2018-2019, 30 times in 2020-2021, and 29 times in 2022-2023. This displays there was an increase in usage of the words “pain” and “struggling” upon the occurrence of COVID-19. This indicates that there may be an increase in feelings of pain and struggle as COVID-19 set in. However, there is no clear increase or decrease in hope before, during, or after COVID-19. The peak use of the word hope was used in 2020-2021. The word “hope” was used 6 times in 2018-2019, 9 times in 2020-2021, and 5 times in 2022-2023.
2018-2019
2020-2021
2022-2023
While coding for reason for posting, I found a mix of responses, without a clear correlation. Many people shared an optimistic story of hope and the idea that it gets better or that you aren’t alone. Others shared their story to fight the stigma that surrounds suicide which often keeps people from talking openly about their experiences with suicidality. Others simply opened up about the struggles they were having without sharing hope and the hardship that comes with suicide and suicidal ideations. Many bloggers set out to inform the public about something about suicide.