Seeing the Invisible: How to Recognize When Someone Is Struggling During Times of High-Stress

Insights from Suicide Prevention Expert Susan Tellone

Stressful seasons, whether due to life transitions, family pressures, financial strain, or cultural expectations, can intensify feelings of overwhelm for many people. While some move through these periods with support, others quietly struggle with loneliness, anxiety, trauma, and emotional fatigue. Too often, the signs of distress go unnoticed.

In our latest episode of The Human Resilience Podcast, hosts Bob Gold and Shelley Schoenfeld sit down with suicide prevention and mental health advocate Susan Tellone to break down what emotional distress really looks like, why people often hide their pain, and how compassionate connection can make a real difference.

This conversation offers timely guidance for any part of the year, especially during moments when stress runs high and patience is stretched thin.

Why Suicide Warning Signs Are Often Missed

While it can appear sudden from the outside, suicide is almost always preceded by emotional, behavioral, or verbal cues. The challenge is that many of us don’t know what to look for.

Susan introduces the FACS model, a simple, evidence-based framework for recognizing potential warning signs:

• F – Feelings (hopelessness, emptiness, feeling like a burden)
• A – Actions (withdrawing, increased substance use, risk-taking)
• C – Changes (sleep, appetite, appearance, routines)
• T – Talk (“I can’t do this anymore,” “I don’t see the point,” “Everyone would be better off without me.”)

These signals can appear subtly through shifts in energy, behavior, or tone. Recognizing them early creates more opportunities for intervention and support.

How Trauma, Stress, and Overwhelm Intersect

The event doesn’t define trauma. Trauma is defined by how the nervous system experiences it.

During high-stress periods such as major life changes, demanding seasons at work, family pressures, or the expectations surrounding holidays, symptoms of trauma or anxiety often intensify. People may become more withdrawn, irritable, or overwhelmed by even small tasks.

Many also hide pain behind:

• Humor
• Productivity
• Perfectionism
• “I’m fine.”
• Overcommitting.

Learning to see beyond these masks helps us support those who feel unseen or overstimulated.

“Tell Me More”: Three Words That Can Save a Life

One of the most powerful tools Susan shares is also the simplest: When someone is struggling, you don’t need the perfect answer; you just need to stay present.

Phrases that open up conversation include:

• “Tell me more.”
• “I’m here with you.”
• “It makes sense you feel this way.”
• “You’re not alone.”

These responses validate what someone is experiencing without minimizing or trying to fix their problems. Open-ended, empathetic phrases help stabilize the nervous system and allow someone to speak their truth safely.

Loneliness, Hopelessness, and the Mental Load

High-stress periods can create additional emotional strain; people feel isolated while also believing things won’t improve from where they are now.

For teens and young adults, high-stress periods often collide with overstimulation from social media and pressure to achieve. For adults, financial responsibilities, caregiving duties, and burnout can fuel the same quiet despair.

Supportive actions include:

• Creating calm, nonjudgmental spaces
• Gentle check-ins
• Adjusting expectations
• Helping restore healthy routines
• Encouraging grounding practices.

Small gestures of empathy can shift someone’s entire outlook.

Self-Care for Caregivers, Parents, and Clinicians

Those who support others often carry their own burdens. In the podcast, Susan provides practical strategies for sustainable self-care:

• Brief daily grounding practices
• Short movement or breathing resets
• Mindful moments between responsibilities
• Finding small sparks of joy
• Setting emotional boundaries

As Susan reminds us, “Joy and laughter aren’t luxuries; they’re essential resets for the nervous system.”

Why Community-Based, Digital Support Matters

Many people navigating trauma, depression, or suicidal thoughts never reach out for formal help. That’s why continuous, private, accessible support is so critical.

GoMo Health’s digital engagement programs provide:

• Microlearning and microcoping tools
• Real-time, personalized support
• Guidance for caregivers and families
• Consistent check-ins and encouragement
• Anonymity that reduces stigma
• Support at the exact moment it’s needed.

When help is available during a moment of crisis, no matter when that crisis arises, even outside of scheduled appointments, resilience increases and risk decreases.

“Seeing the Invisible: Suicide Warning Signs, Struggles, and Hope” episode offers practical language, behavior cues, and compassionate tools for supporting someone who may be struggling.

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