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?
I'll feel a smidgen better - what will hurting myself bring to the situation? what will it take away from the situation?
it wont bring anything, but i'll feel better - 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?
Probably farther - if hurting myself seems like my best option right now, how long will the relief it brings last? what will i do then?
It'll probably last an hour or two... then i'll feel like a failure. Afterwards ill probably have to try not to 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?
I could listen to music do my homework or go meet my friends...I dont understand the rest of the question - 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'll feel like a failure as i havnt SI for 3 months... I'll still feel bad about the situation but i wont feel as worthless - 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 dont understand that question..
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 want to be with him but i cant, he'd rather be with my best friend than me, and shes only using him to get back at her ex, so he continues to ignore me and falls in love with the one thats gonna hurt him.. - Have I been here before? What did I do to deal with it? How did I feel then?
Ive been here before, 3 months ago to be exact, and i SI a lot to get me through. I felt better for a bit - What I have done to ease this discomfort so far? What else can I do that won't hurt me?
I punched a few walls.. - How do I feel right now?
Deppresive worthless lonely && afraid - How will I feel when I am hurting myself?
A sense of relief - How will I feel after hurting myself? How will I feel tomorrow morning?
I'll feel.. i dont know - Can I avoid this stressor, or deal with it better in the future?
... - Do I need to hurt myself?
...
Remember you don't have to answer all the questions if you don't feel up to it.