Post by ¤Teen Vibe¤ on Mar 12, 2006 14:58:01 GMT -5
If you feel the urge to Self Injure here is a list that may help you overcome that urge:
Please feel free to add your own ways of dealing with SI.
- Deep breathing.
- Relaxation techniques.
- Call a friend, your therapist or a crisis line.
- Try not be be alone (visit a friend, go shopping, etc.).
- Take a hot bath.
- Listen to music.
- Go for a walk.
- Write in a journal.
- Wear an elastic around wrist and snap it when you have the urge to harm yourself.
- Some people find it helpful to draw red lines on themselves with washable markers instead of cutting themselves.
- Hold ice cubes in your hands — the cold causes pain in your hands, but it is not dangerous or harmful (some people find it relieves the urge to harm themselves for that moment).
- Punching a bed or a pillow (when nothing but a physical outlet for your anger and frustration will work).
- Scratch draw a picture on a thick piece of wood or use a screw driver and stab at the piece of wood (can be another physical way to release your emotions without harming yourself).
- Avoid temptation (i.e. avoiding the area in CVS where the razor blades are kept, etc.)
- Try to find your own creative ways as outlets for emotions.
- Learn to confront others/making your own feelings known instead of keeping them inside.
- Go outside and scream and yell.
- Take up a sport (a form of exercise can help you release tension, etc.) work with paint, clay, play-doo, etc. (the person who suggested this mentioned that they would make a big sculpture and do whatever they wanted to it. They said it was helpful to calm the urge to self-injure, plus it gave them some idea of what might be underlying the pain.)
- Draw a picture of what or who is making you angry.
- Instead of harming yourself, try massaging the area you want to harm with massage oils or creams, reminding yourself that you are special and you deserve to treat yourself and your body with love and respect.
- Go to church or your place of worship.
- Wear a pipe cleaner or something that will fit on the places that you injure. One person did this as a way to remind herself that she could call someone instead of hurting herself and that she had other ways to cope.
- Break the object that you use to self-injure as a way to show that you have control over it.
- Write a letter to the person(s) that have hurt you and express how they made you feel. These letters do not have to be in perfect form and you do not have to please anyone but yourself. You do not have to give these letters to the people, but it is a great way to release the feelings that you are carrying within. After you write the letters, you can decide then what to do with them. Some people find destroying the letters help (i.e. tear them up, throw them in a lake, etc.).
- Do some household chores (i.e. cleaning).
- Do some cooking.
- Try some sewing, crossstitch, etc.
- Recite a poem, prayer or anything else familiar the comforts you multiple times.
- Write down all your positive points and why you do not deserve to be hurt.
- Write in your journal why you want to hurt yourself and if you have hurt yourself, write down what caused it to happen so in the future you can prevent it from happenings — or find out what your triggers were.
- Play some kind of musical instrument. Even if you don’t really know how to play, picking out tunes is a way to concentrate and help get rid of the urge to harm yourself.
- Yoga.
Please feel free to add your own ways of dealing with SI.