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 be less anxious. the situtaion itself wont chagne. - what will hurting myself bring to the situation? what will it take away from the situation?
it'll bring calm. itll take away... uhm. something. - 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...s afe. no siing wont help. - 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 last for a few hours. tomorrow mornign itll all strat over again. then ill just keep on hanging inthere till frdiay. when is ee my pdoc. - 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... go to bed? will last till tomorrow. then ill mabye feel better.??? - how will i feel tomorrow if i hurt myself? how will i feel tomorrow if i do the other thing i came up with?
if i hurt myself ill probably wake up feeling like doing it again. if i do the toher things ill probaly still feel anxoius but maybe better. who knows. - 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 really want to curl up and scream. and be held. i can honor that by... crualing up in bed nad cullding my tedy bear?=
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?
im really exhausted. i had along emotionally exhaustive day. it was awful. and now i just feel so overhwelmed.
- Have I been here before? What did I do to deal with it? How did I feel then?
yes. i dealt with it by talking to people till i was tired enough togo to bed.
- What I have done to ease this discomfort so far? What else can I do that won't hurt me?
i have tried talking to poele. i can... take a pill thatll calm me down? - How do I feel right now?
really really dissociated. - How will I feel when I am hurting myself?
grounded. - How will I feel after hurting myself? How will I feel tomorrow morning?
scared. afraid. hurting. tomororw. disappointed prolly. urgy. - Can I avoid this stressor, or deal with it better in the future?
can't always avoid bad days. they come and they go. deal with it better? not currently no. but i#m leanring. - Do I need to hurt myself?
no........................................ theres no need. not *need* but... i dunno.
i am trying. really. ia m.
