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?
There will be something else for me to think of, I won't be all tense and anxious
- what will hurting myself bring to the situation? what will it take away from the situation?
It will bring frustration with myself, I can maybe concentrate on something other than stupid comments by creepy people
- 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 strong, in control, tell someone to go to hell. Not really
- 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 at least keep me busy until class, so only a few min probably
- 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?
Figure out what creeped me out about that guy, stay on here and do distractions, give my homework another try
- how will i feel tomorrow if i hurt myself? how will i feel tomorrow if i do the other thing i came up with?
Ashamed and frustrated it's too warm for long sleeves. If I got my paper done I'd at least know I got something done
- 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?
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?
A couple of things, a creepy train driver (just acted really creepy and made me feel stupid), and I am not satisfied with my homework.
- Have I been here before? What did I do to deal with it? How did I feel then?
I'm never really satisfied with my writing, I need to just turn it in, revised one more time and say thats the best I can do. Creepy guys, I just need to turn up my music so I don't hear em or they can't get my attention
- What I have done to ease this discomfort so far? What else can I do that won't hurt me?
I went to lab and tried asking questions, felt worse, wasn't able to consentrate and felt like I could have done better. I can stay here after class and try doing my homework in the library, maybe it will keep my mind off the rude comments.
- How do I feel right now?
Anxious, ready to cry, frustated
- How will I feel when I am hurting myself?
relief, pain
- How will I feel after hurting myself? How will I feel tomorrow morning?
right after-relieved, able to focus on my next class and maybe my paper. Tomorrow (or even after class) dissappointed, sad, scared of someone noticing
- Can I avoid this stressor, or deal with it better in the future?
Unfortunantly papers can't be avoided, I need to get the courage to ask someone to proof read them. I need to learn to ignore stupid people who say stupid things
- Do I need to hurt myself?
Not really, just really want to. I'm gonna try working on my paper and just print it, say I'm done, it'll be fine.
