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'll feel in control - what will hurting myself bring to the situation? what will it take away from the situation?
I'll feel in control, I'll feel like I control my feelings. But if I do I'll feel afraid someone will find out I've been cutting after all these years 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?
I just don't want to hurt any more & I don't know what's going to help me - if hurting myself seems like my best option right now, how long will the relief it brings last? what will i do then?
At least till the morning. Maybe I'll be able to sleep. Then in the morning I'll be busy with school & work - 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 text someone, but I'm afraid to wake anyone. I can just sit here, but I've been doing that for hours. - 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 cut I'll probably feel embarrassed, if I find a way to not I'll pretend I was never upset at all. - 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?
???
More Before Questions To Answer
- Why do I feel I need to hurt myself? What has brought me to this point?
I feel so lonely I am sick to my stomach. - Have I been here before? What did I do to deal with it? How did I feel then?
- What I have done to ease this discomfort so far? What else can I do that won't hurt me?
- How do I feel right now?
sick. nauseous - How will I feel when I am hurting myself?
i dont know - How will I feel after hurting myself? How will I feel tomorrow morning?
- Can I avoid this stressor, or deal with it better in the future?
its inside me - Do I need to hurt myself?
