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 will feel worse about myself for giving in - what will hurting myself bring to the situation? what will it take away from the situation?
it will calm me down and give me something to focus on besides the memories and bad thoughts. - 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 be proud of myself and in power. it will take me farther away. - 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 only last for about a day and then i'll get depressed. - 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 can go work on my schoolwork or talk to a friend and that mite bring my mood up for a while. - how will i feel tomorrow if i hurt myself? how will i feel tomorrow if i do the other thing i came up with?
tomorrow i'll feel sick and addicted again if i cut, but if i talk to my friends i'll feel better tomorrow. - 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.
