I think it points to a few truths that are commonly understated.
1) nearly everyone has or will go through challenges that cause them to consider, at least casually, the thought of ending one’s own life. There’s no shame in that. It’s normal human behavior. For some of us (I say us because I am among the us) it becomes a pathological condition that one has to diligently be mindful of.

2) we have more control over our lives and conditions than we sometimes want to acknowledge. The self-care things you described are among the many free and natural therapeutic coping mechanisms and processing mechanisms available to all of us.

3) everything is a process that requires small, incremental gains that compound over time. Patience and determination are key.

4) who we spend time with becomes who we are. We essentially are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with so be very careful who you give that time to. Choose people you trust, respect, and who has what you want. Also note that our neurology has difficulty differentiating the real from the perceived. Many people are unaware of this but we process characters in books and tv similarly to if they exist in real life. So those characters are essentially processed as real by our brains and we have biochemical reactions that are like those of associating with real people. So, if you spend most of your time with with your favorite tv shows and they are dark, disturbing, and full of vice then your brain will incorporate them into your being. (That said, my favorite series is breaking bad, so knowing what I know does not change preference or necessarily precipitate better decision making)

5) taking time to envision where we are, why we are where we are (being willing to take extreme ownership) and determining where we want to be and a approximate road on how to get there is of utmost important. If you don’t know what your destination is then how do you expect to get there?

All of this must be done in the context that there is no single right way. Just a lot of different ways and some are faster and healthier than others. we will have times of massive progress and periods of setback. Be kind to yourself in times of setback. Take time to analyze the setback and assess it so That the next moves one makes are done with care and puts one back on a healthy path.

Anyhow. Good post bro. I can relate directly to what you said and to Chad’s own experiences and current challenges.