A crisis plan is a document that reminds you where you can turn and what you can do to help yourself in a crisis. This can be a great resource when you feel suicidal or unable to cope or are getting urges to hurt yourself.
If you’re interested in drawing up a crisis plan, this page gives some suggestions of what to include. Continue reading
This article was developed from the Prevention Strategies page on our old website. It’s a selection of ideas for people who want to stop self-harming, which don’t fit into the categories of finding new ways of coping, or of dealing with the causes of self-harm. As a result, these are probably not strategies that you’ll want to use on their own, and they’re intended mainly for people who already feel motivated to stop and are addressing the other issues in their lives. They aren’t long-term solutions to the problem or ways of feeling better – more ‘extras’ that you might find useful in your toolbox. Continue reading
Adapted from Secret Shame: What to do RIGHT NOW instead of SI.
If you’re trying to stop self-harming, you might find this list of distractions and alternatives useful. They are all things you can do right now instead of hurting yourself. Even if you feel you can’t cope without self-harm, many people find it helpful to try at least one thing on this list before allowing themselves to self-injure. That way, there’s not too much pressure on you to give up your way of coping, but you learn what else works for you and in time you’ll hopefully build up a long list of healthier alternatives. Continue reading
Many people who self-harm have no idea why they’re doing it. They just know they get uncontrollable urges to hurt themselves. They may worry that they’re “crazy”, or feel very upset and angry with themselves for not being able to control their behaviour. Friends and family members can also be baffled by self-harm, and not know how best to help.
This page looks at some of the most common reasons why people hurt themselves. It discusses the needs that self-harm might be meeting and how those needs can be met in other ways. Continue reading
Reproduced from Secret Shame (Self-Injury Information and Support).
If the whole concept of a disorder in which people deliberately inflict physical harm on themselves confuses you, or if you’ve been doing this for a while and never realized that it’s recognized as a valid psychological problem all by itself, then this page is a good place to start learning about self-injury. Continue reading
