Before
Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2008 4:57 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 might get some relief from the tension and pain I feel inside. So much worry and its getting too much
what will hurting myself bring to the situation? what will it take away from the situation?
as above
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?
not sure
if hurting myself seems like my best option right now, how long will the relief it brings last? what will i do then?
not long and then I will feel guilty
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?
phone a helpline or distract myself
how will i feel tomorrow if i hurt myself? how will i feel tomorrow if i do the other thing i came up with?
guilty and even more horrible inside
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?
call help or distract
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?
So much stress in my life with both my parents having serious illnesses; going through really hard stuff with psychologist re. SA abuse getting flashbacks and feel filthy and dirty so so much
Have I been here before? What did I do to deal with it? How did I feel then?
yes, normally harm
What I have done to ease this discomfort so far? What else can I do that won't hurt me?
i have been trying to reassure myself its natural to feel anxious with so much going on
How do I feel right now?
low
How will I feel when I am hurting myself?
low maybe a bit of relief i am hurting myself cos I hate me and think everyone does and are out to get me
How will I feel after hurting myself? How will I feel tomorrow morning?
guilty and hate me even more
Can I avoid this stressor, or deal with it better in the future?
not sure
Do I need to hurt myself?
yes - no - so unsure
Remember you don't have to answer all the questions if you don't feel up to it.
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 might get some relief from the tension and pain I feel inside. So much worry and its getting too much
what will hurting myself bring to the situation? what will it take away from the situation?
as above
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?
not sure
if hurting myself seems like my best option right now, how long will the relief it brings last? what will i do then?
not long and then I will feel guilty
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?
phone a helpline or distract myself
how will i feel tomorrow if i hurt myself? how will i feel tomorrow if i do the other thing i came up with?
guilty and even more horrible inside
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?
call help or distract
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?
So much stress in my life with both my parents having serious illnesses; going through really hard stuff with psychologist re. SA abuse getting flashbacks and feel filthy and dirty so so much
Have I been here before? What did I do to deal with it? How did I feel then?
yes, normally harm
What I have done to ease this discomfort so far? What else can I do that won't hurt me?
i have been trying to reassure myself its natural to feel anxious with so much going on
How do I feel right now?
low
How will I feel when I am hurting myself?
low maybe a bit of relief i am hurting myself cos I hate me and think everyone does and are out to get me
How will I feel after hurting myself? How will I feel tomorrow morning?
guilty and hate me even more
Can I avoid this stressor, or deal with it better in the future?
not sure
Do I need to hurt myself?
yes - no - so unsure
Remember you don't have to answer all the questions if you don't feel up to it.
