before

[Fieryphoenix]

Before:

Before You Self-Harm
write down the shadow that's hiding behind the urge. look at it. ask yourself:

• how will this situation or feeling change if i hurt myself?
  it won't, but i feel more better about myself
  
• what will hurting myself bring to the situation? what will it take away from the situation?
  i will feel safe with myself, able to sleep. won't take nothing away.
  
• how do i want to feel about this in the long run? is hurting myself likely to get me closer to or farther from feeling that way?
  i want to feel. the same, no better or worse. it won't change either way.
  
• if hurting myself seems like my best option right now, how long will the relief it brings last? what will i do then?
  it will last til it heals. SI again.
  
• what is something i could do now instead of hurting myself? how will it change the situation i'm in? how long will that change last, and what will i do then?
  it WON'T. everything will still suck. and i wil l si
  
• how will i feel tomorrow if i hurt myself? how will i feel tomorrow if i do the other thing i came up with?
  i will feel fine 2M. ?
  
• what do i really want to do right now? how can i best honor the self-protective instinct that has me wanting to self-injure right now?

i want to be loved and protected. and i want my best friend here. i don't know

urges aren't necessarily the enemy. they happen for reasons, and they're an expression of a desire to stay alive and stay sane and keep coping. remember that.

More Before Questions To Answer

• Why do I feel I need to hurt myself? What has brought me to this point?
  i feel lonely and drunk, drinking mostly
  
• Have I been here before? What did I do to deal with it? How did I feel then?
  i SI'ed. better, less lonely
  
• What I have done to ease this discomfort so far? What else can I do that won't hurt me?
  i played cards, socialized. i don't know
  
• How do I feel right now?
  sad
  
• How will I feel when I am hurting myself?
  better, more ok.
  
• How will I feel after hurting myself? How will I feel tomorrow morning?
  i will feel ok
  
• Can I avoid this stressor, or deal with it better in the future?
  no, not really
  
• Do I need to hurt myself?

yes, no, maybe?

Remember you don't have to answer all the questions if you don't feel up to it.

[balletomane]

it won't, but i feel more better about myself

What else can you do that will help you feel better about yourself?

i feel lonely and drunk, drinking mostly

Does drinking tend to lead to SI urges for you? If so, it might be something to watch out for/consider. Maybe drinking when you're lonely isn't the best idea. Maybe you should promise yourself that you won't cut when you're drunk, especially since that is really dangerous.

I hope you're feeling better now. Take care.