First Before.
Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:42 pm
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?
i'll feel less on edge/ panicky/ upset/ angry with myself/ other people.
* what will hurting myself bring to the situation? what will it take away from the situation?
it'll take the hurt away for a while.
* 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?
grounded. more than anything.
* if hurting myself seems like my best option right now, how long will the relief it brings last? what will i do then?
a few hours/ until i next feel the urge to hurt myself.
* 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've ran out of options. but usually it'd be reading/ writing/music etc.
* 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 grounded. and not on edge. yeah, i may feel bad for a while. but i'll put up with it.
* 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?
because i'm angry. i'm hurting. i'm upset. and i'm feeling lots of other different things that i just can't make 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 member of my family being selfish. me feeling like a bad/ useless person.
* Have I been here before? What did I do to deal with it? How did I feel then?
yes, i have. and i did everything i've tried to before.
* What I have done to ease this discomfort so far? What else can I do that won't hurt me?
ice/ rubber bands/ having my i-pod on really loud.
* How do I feel right now? hurt/ upset/ angry/ numb.
* How will I feel when I am hurting myself? in control.
* How will I feel after hurting myself? How will I feel tomorrow morning? i don't know yet.
* Can I avoid this stressor, or deal with it better in the future? i could, but it's very hard.
* Do I need to hurt myself? i don't know. i want to but something/ someone is stopping me.
x
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 less on edge/ panicky/ upset/ angry with myself/ other people.
* what will hurting myself bring to the situation? what will it take away from the situation?
it'll take the hurt away for a while.
* 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?
grounded. more than anything.
* if hurting myself seems like my best option right now, how long will the relief it brings last? what will i do then?
a few hours/ until i next feel the urge to hurt myself.
* 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've ran out of options. but usually it'd be reading/ writing/music etc.
* 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 grounded. and not on edge. yeah, i may feel bad for a while. but i'll put up with it.
* 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?
because i'm angry. i'm hurting. i'm upset. and i'm feeling lots of other different things that i just can't make 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 member of my family being selfish. me feeling like a bad/ useless person.
* Have I been here before? What did I do to deal with it? How did I feel then?
yes, i have. and i did everything i've tried to before.
* What I have done to ease this discomfort so far? What else can I do that won't hurt me?
ice/ rubber bands/ having my i-pod on really loud.
* How do I feel right now? hurt/ upset/ angry/ numb.
* How will I feel when I am hurting myself? in control.
* How will I feel after hurting myself? How will I feel tomorrow morning? i don't know yet.
* Can I avoid this stressor, or deal with it better in the future? i could, but it's very hard.
* Do I need to hurt myself? i don't know. i want to but something/ someone is stopping me.
x
