Before...

[Elfgirl]

Before You Self-Harm
write down the shadow that's hiding behind the urge. look at it. ask yourself:
1. how will this situation or feeling change if i hurt myself?
The chaos might lessen a bit for a while.
2. what will hurting myself bring to the situation? what will it take away from the situation?
I don't understand this question.
3. 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 get rid of the chaos in my head. I'm not sure whether SI is going to take me closer ofr farther from this goal.
4. 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 probably last for about 10 mins. I don't know what I will be doing then.
5. 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 wait till I have to go to physical therapy anyway, or I could talk to a nurse. I don't think that will bring much relief.
6. how will i feel tomorrow if i hurt myself? how will i feel tomorrow if i do the other thing i came up with?
I will likely feel the same: the chaos will still be there. Maybe a little more guilt if I SI.
7. 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 don't know. I want to get rid of this chaos.
More Before Questions To Answer
8. Why do I feel I need to hurt myself? What has brought me to this point?
The chaos in my head.
9. Have I been here before? What did I do to deal with it? How did I feel then?
Yes, I've been here before. Sometimes I SI'd but other times I went to the nrses or posted on a board.
10. What I have done to ease this discomfort so far? What else can I do that won't hurt me?
I've been posting on the board. Don't know what else I can do.
11. How do I feel right now?
Anxious, angry, chaotic.
12. How will I feel when I am hurting myself?
Relieved.
13. How will I feel after hurting myself? How will I feel tomorrow morning?
Chaos will come back.
14. Can I avoid this stressor, or deal with it better in the future?
I don't know.
15. Do I need to hurt myself?
Don't know.