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 will feel calmer for a while, then more upset. - what will hurting myself bring to the situation? what will it take away from the situation?
hurting myself will bring a different anxiety to the situation, and will take away the urge. - 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?
i want to feel like i'm recovering. hurting myself will get us farther from the situation. - if hurting myself seems like my best option right now, how long will the relief it brings last? what will i do then?
the relief will last a few minutes and then i'll cut some more. - 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 could make some paper swans. that will make me smile, at least for a few minutes. - how will i feel tomorrow if i hurt myself? how will i feel tomorrow if i do the other thing i came up with?
tomorrow i will be disappointed if i hurt myself. if i do some origami or go for a walk i'll feel proud of myself. - 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 rest. i can close my eyes for a bit and try to sleep.
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.
