After

[Stormy Llwellyn]

slips are chances to learn. you figure out what stresses are still too hard for you and you can work on how you'll deal with them next time you run into them. so instead of beating yourself up, take action.
•have you taken care of your physical wounds? if not, go do that now. we'll wait. yes

•what had happened just before? I had fallen, and was not sure if the injury was going to be severe or not. Other previous stress did not help

•what were you thinking and feeling? Just what I carved on my leg, FAIL

•why did you end up hurting yourself then instead of some other time? was there an event that was the final straw? what was it? That due to the injury along with the stress I might not be able to work in my career again

•how did the situation get to the final straw stage? trace it back through the events that led up to the last event. look for some point at which you could have made a different decision and not arrived at the final straw. Because I put others in front of my needs, I forgot how to say NO. I had lost another T and refused to get a new one. I think not having a T to call was the last straw. Emergency services in my area are handled by an answering service that takes your number and someone calls bck in 30 minutes.

•were there outside factors like drugs, alsohol, being off your meds, lack of sleep, etc? can you address those in the future? how? definetly lack of sleep.

•what other ways of coping did you try besides self-harm? how well did they work? warm showers. not very effective this time for some reason.

•in retrospect, are there coping methods that you now realize might have helped? what were they? yes, call an Al-Anon friend.

•name at least two things you will do to help yourself remember those coping methods if you end up in this situation again. Call one of those friends, or go to the gym.

•how do you feel about the situation that led to self-harm now? is it resolved? if not, what are some steps you might take toward resolution? Yes the situations are resolved. I felt overwhelmed again and a work place injury did not help the situation.

•are you likely to be in that emotional place again? how will you recognize it when you're in that situation? yes. I am learning to recognize the triggers but I have to take care what to say at work because of where I work.

•what will you try before you resort to self-harm if you're in that situation again? list three specific things you will commit to trying.
1. ask for help.
2. go for a short drive.
3. have a cup of hot tea.