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.
- what had happened just before?
i woke up. - what were you thinking and feeling?
trying to avoid thinking about the current situation with my dad. - 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?
my stepdad made a huge dinner last nite, and there was lots of food left over. - 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.
i could've gone back to sleep instead of getting up to eat. - were there outside factors like drugs, alsohol, being off your meds, lack of sleep, etc? can you address those in the future? how?
no - what other ways of coping did you try besides self-harm? how well did they work?
i didn't try anything else.
- in retrospect, are there coping methods that you now realize might have helped? what were they?
i could've slept through the urge or taken a shower instead. i also could've distracted myself in place or games. - name at least two things you will do to help yourself remember those coping methods if you end up in this situation again.
i don't know . . . - 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?
it's not resolved. i'm still ignoring the situation. i don't want a resolution rite now. - are you likely to be in that emotional place again? how will you recognize it when you're in that situation?
yes. i don't know how i will recognize it. - 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.
distractions
talking to friends
self-soothing
