insomnia and urges?

[steady hands]

i'm an insomniac, and for the past couple of days that I haven't been sleeping, i've been really urgey. Most of the things I do to cope and distract me are either things I can't do at night, or things that are too loud to do while the rest of my family is sleeping. I've read through the scarily vast list of coping methods, and tried a lot of them, and nothing seems to be working. is there anything that I could do that would be quiet enough to do in my room that I can do at night?

gretchen

[Silver_Kitsune]

I'm an insomniac too. Here's some of the stuff I do when I feel urged:
-I get on the internet and read stories with happy endings. Or just something humorous.
-I start planning what outfits I'm going to wear. Sometimes I even plan out the jewelery too.
-I mix and match jewelery, seeing how different necklaces go together, seeing how different bracelets go together. Even if you don't have a lot of jewelery, you'd be surprised about how many cool looking combinations you can make.
-I play video games. If you're trying to sleep, that's not a good idea because the games will keep you up for some reason. Or you can just play the game on mute.
-I paint my nails.
-I write music: Lyrics that describe how I feel, and then the guitar riffs that go with it. Even though I won't be able to play it, I play it in the morning. Or if you play another instrument, that'd be fine as well.
-I let my pets come in my room.
-You can listen to your CD player.
-Daydream.

That's all I can think of right now, I hope it helps.

[irishpecas14]

ahhh insomnia? yes. i have that.

-play dough. it's amazing.
-coloring. (okay so i do kid stuff.. haha)
-listen to mp3 player/music with headphones
-read... a lot. i have stacks of books for these occasions.. catch up on schoolwork, etc.
-write letters to friends/ thank yous... etc.
-e-mails... check online stuff
-look at pictures.
-look at your callendar and plan for the next week or so...


(i like the idea about planning outfits! must try that!)

[syn]

- internet
- get crafty with beads, etc
- TV
- music
- chat rooms

[half/hearted]

I have insomnia too, and I get really urgey at night as well. This is some of the things I do:

- Make lists/plans (plan outfits, schedule for tomorrow; list shopping needs, songs I like, etc.)
- Do something creative--I like marker art but you can do whatever helps you.
- Paint my nails
- Play with makeup. This might sound silly, but sometimes when I feel really awful I put on "horror movie" makeup, with red eyeliner and dark eyeshadow and stuff, and it's actually a really good release. Then I can just wash it all off.
- Sort things. I don't know about you but I find this really relaxing...I just like sorting/organizing stuff. Beads are great for this.
- Calligraphy. I like Japanese calligraphy but i imagine other forms would be soothing as well.
- Internet. Sometimes I get on bus and go to the "games" thread and just try to reply to EVERYTHING on the first page. Or I go to the coping forum or the bodies under siege forum, and look for people who are seeking help but haven't gotten any replies yet...I see how many people I can help that night.
- Meditate. sounds cheesy but it helps me sometimes...I like to get a favorite item, like a necklace or something, and just concentrate on it...let my mind wander, imagine things like where it came from or make up a story to go around it...

I know you said you tried things from the scarily vast list, but I'd like to recommend one that works really well for me: drawing on myself with red marker, or with red food coloring. I was shocked at how well this worked the first time I tried it--with the food coloring--it looked exactly like the blood that I really needed to see. If your SI centers around something else (burning, hitting, etc), you could try the ice-cube trick (hold an ice cube against your skin--it gives a sort of burning sensation and leaves a reddish mark, like burning might), or hit a pillow (stupid but it actually helps me sometimes. I like to hit my mattress 'cause it's a bit firmer).

Hope something helps.