Never tried this... Before
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:59 am
* how will this situation or feeling change if i hurt myself?
I don't think it will. I may feel a bit of relief but I will still be lonely. It will make me either more or less likely to get out of isolation, but I'm not sure which.
* what will hurting myself bring to the situation? what will it take away from the situation?
It will bring some relief I think - in the short term, that is. It will take away the possibility of feeling satisfied for getting through an urge SI free.
* 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?
In the long run I want to be able to be content when I'm alone. I don't want to choose to isolate and feel sorry for myself. SIing will not help me get to where I want to be.
* if hurting myself seems like my best option right now, how long will the relief it brings last? what will i do then?
Part of the problem is that the relief lasts for a long time. The high lasts a couple minutes and then I feel satisfied for a long time, and pleased with myself for a long time when I see the wounds.
* 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 to an AA meeting now (I want to SI and then go to a meeting). Then I will be around people and maybe get to be of service. I don't know how long the change will last, but it will keep me sober. SI does not help my sobriety.
* 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 don't SI I will want to SI tomorrow. If I do SI I might get to take tomorrow off. Tomorrow is going to be hard so I feel like if I do it now it'll ensure that tomorrow will be manageable.
* 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 hurt myself. Maybe I could do something else to care for myself before I go to the meeting.
More Before Questions To Answer
* Why do I feel I need to hurt myself? What has brought me to this point?
I want to hurt because I often want to hurt. It's how I learned to deal with things. What I want to use it to deal with now are feelings of loneliness, overwhelm, depression, and anxiety.
* Have I been here before? What did I do to deal with it? How did I feel then?
I'm here often. I usually deal with it my SIing. Sometimes by doing something related to my sobriety or cleaning or something.
* What I have done to ease this discomfort so far? What else can I do that won't hurt me?
I've showered, talked to someone, gone on BUS, played guitar, eaten some vegetables... I could just leave now and go to the meeting.
* How do I feel right now?
Stressed, lonely, alone, depressed, angry, sad, nervous, anxious, like a loser, ugly
* How will I feel when I am hurting myself?
* How will I feel after hurting myself? How will I feel tomorrow morning?
After hurting myself, I will feel relaxed and cared for and satisfied. It won't solve tomorrow's problems though. It won't solve tonight's problems, either, for that matter.
* Can I avoid this stressor, or deal with it better in the future?
I need to plan ahead to avoid isolation.
* Do I need to hurt myself?
Intellectually I know I don't need to. But I FEEL like I HAVE to do it.