ReThreading Madness Beyond “Don’t Kill Yourself… Yet”: Practical Tools for Survival with Michael McTeique
Dec 29, 2025
01:00:00
Beyond “Don’t Kill Yourself… Yet”: Practical Tools for Survival with Michael McTeique
Content note: This episode discusses suicidal ideation in a non-graphic, supportive, and prevention-focused context.
In this episode, we speak with Michael McTeigue, author of Don't Kill Yourself… Yet, about practical ways to interrupt persistent suicidal thoughts and regain a sense of agency when life feels unbearable. Drawing from his own lived experience with chronic depression and his work as a crisis-intervention and suicide-prevention hotline counselor, McTeigue shares the framework he calls the Seven Life Hacks. These are simple, memorable tools designed to help people break cycles of self-reinforcing negative thinking, reduce emotional overwhelm, and make day-to-day life feel more survivable and meaningful. Rather than offering abstract theory or platitudes, this conversation focuses on concrete strategies that can be used immediately, especially during moments when despair, anxiety, or hopelessness feel relentless. Each “hack” builds on the one before it, offering structure and perspective for people who may feel stuck, exhausted, or unable to see a way forward. Listener responses to McTeigue’s work often describe feeling clearer, steadier, and more capable of navigating difficult moments without being consumed by them. This episode explores why straightforward tools can matter so much when someone is struggling, and how small shifts in thinking and action can create breathing room, even when nothing else seems to help.
As reviewed in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/26/books/how-not-to-kill-yourself-clancy-martin.html
Music by Shari Ulrich
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/rethreading-madness--5675300/support.
Content note: This episode discusses suicidal ideation in a non-graphic, supportive, and prevention-focused context.
In this episode, we speak with Michael McTeigue, author of Don't Kill Yourself… Yet, about practical ways to interrupt persistent suicidal thoughts and regain a sense of agency when life feels unbearable. Drawing from his own lived experience with chronic depression and his work as a crisis-intervention and suicide-prevention hotline counselor, McTeigue shares the framework he calls the Seven Life Hacks. These are simple, memorable tools designed to help people break cycles of self-reinforcing negative thinking, reduce emotional overwhelm, and make day-to-day life feel more survivable and meaningful. Rather than offering abstract theory or platitudes, this conversation focuses on concrete strategies that can be used immediately, especially during moments when despair, anxiety, or hopelessness feel relentless. Each “hack” builds on the one before it, offering structure and perspective for people who may feel stuck, exhausted, or unable to see a way forward. Listener responses to McTeigue’s work often describe feeling clearer, steadier, and more capable of navigating difficult moments without being consumed by them. This episode explores why straightforward tools can matter so much when someone is struggling, and how small shifts in thinking and action can create breathing room, even when nothing else seems to help.
As reviewed in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/26/books/how-not-to-kill-yourself-clancy-martin.html
Music by Shari Ulrich
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/rethreading-madness--5675300/support.