Years ago, I ran across the concept of “Cheetah Bait” and it’s something that I talk about on a regular basis with my clients.
We’ve all seen shows like Wild Kingdom or the Animal Planet. One of the things these show on a regular basis are these beautiful gazelles running across the plain. The herd is together, they are moving forward, they are protected. Then…. Yes, you know what happens.
There is this one little gazelle that for some reason wanders away from the herd. Left alone, away from the protective confines of the herd, it becomes what?
Yes. You guessed it!
Cheetah bait.
The lone gazelle that left the herd puts itself in a position to become the cheetah’s lunch.
Not good.
So what about you? Are you Cheetah Bait today? Have you left the safety of your friends and family and isolated yourself? Have you withdrawn from those things you once enjoyed?
In doing so, you’re opening yourself up to becoming Cheetah Bait. Cheetahs can be different things for different people. For some, the Cheetah is depression. Study after study shows that folks who isolate and withdraw are more likely to have an increase in depressive symptoms.
It’s a weird phenomenon really. We get into this cycle of feeling so alone and helpless and worthless and then we go and isolate and withdraw and pull away from the very folks that could be a support and help to improve the situation.
The most lethal of Cheetahs is suicidal thoughts. This Cheetah can sneak up on you out of the blue and wham! It attacks you with the thought that folks would be better off without you; with thoughts of how great the pain is and how much things hurt; it increases those feelings of hopelessness, helplessness and worthlessness. Without your herd around, you have no safety net and the risk of suicide increases greatly the more isolated and alone you are.
When you feel that initial tug to close yourself off, let that be a red flag – seek out a friend, a relative, someone that you can talk to – even if it’s just on the phone. Better yet, go do something with that person – walk on the beach, share a cup of coffee and the funny papers, go to a park and slide down a slide or swing on a swing. Do something… rejoin the herd in some way.
The natural instinct is to withdraw and isolate.
Don’t do it. Fight the urge. Find the herd.
Don’t become Cheetah Bait
Bedelia Murray, MSW
