Self Harm Alternatives

These help me :)

General:

• Run your hands under freezing cold water

• Clap your hands repeatedly

• Splash your face with cold water

• Take a hot shower/bath

• Write or paint on yourself (don’t use pen!)

• Take a bath with ice cubes (it gives a numbing sensation)

• Bite into a hot pepper

• Count ceiling lights or tiles

• Play a musical instrument

• Doodle on sheets of paper

• Write out lyrics to your favorite song

• Browse eBay or Amazon

• Memorize a poem with meaning

• Learn to swear in another language

• Go outside and watch the clouds roll by

• Re-organize your room

• Draw or paint

• Buy a cuddly toy

• Wander aimlessly through a bookstore

• Watch a favorite TV show or movie

• Eat something ridiculously sweet

• Remember a happy moment and relive it in your head

• Look at things that are special to you

• Youtube funny videos

• Let yourself cry

• Write words in the sand and let them by washed away

• Meditate/do yoga

• Hug a pillow or soft toy

• Crunch ice

• Feel your pulse to prove you’re alive

• Create a safe place and take yourself there

• Remember that you don’t have to hurt yourself just because you’re thinking about self-harm

• Make a notebook of song lyrics you relate to

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Angry, frustrated, restless?

• Hit a punching bag

• Use a pillow to hit a wall, pillow-fight style

• Rip up an old newspaper or phone book

• On a sketch or photo of yourself, mark in red ink where you feel like cutting

• Make Play-doh or Sculpey or other clay models and smash them

• Throw ice against something hard enough to shatter it

• Crank up some music and dance

• Go for a walk/jog/run

• Play a physical sport

• Scribble on photos of people in magazines

• Tear apart newspapers, photos, or magazines

• Go to the gym, dance, or any type of physical activity

• Splatter paint

• Write your feelings on paper then rip it

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Craving sensation, feeling unreal?

• Squeeze ice cubes hard

• Put a finger into frozen food (like ice cream)

• Take a cold bath

• Focus on how it feels to breathe. Notice how your body moves

• Snap your self with a rubber band

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Wanting to see scars or pick scabs?

• Get a henna tattoo kit. You put the henna on as a paste and leave it overnight; the next day you can pick it off as you would a scab and it leaves an orange-red mark behind

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Sad, depressed, unhappy?

• Do something slow and soothing, like taking a hot bath

• Light sweet-smelling incense

• Listen to soothing music

• Smooth nice body lotion into the parts of yourself you want to hurt

• Call a friend and just talk about things that you like

• Visit a friend

​Comfort Yourself 

• Have a bath or shower

• Have an emergency box with whatever helps you cope

•  Buy something special for your self

• Massage your hands/arms/feet, or the area you want to harm

• Stroke a pet or cuddle a teddy

• Paint your nails or get your hair done

• Try relaxation, meditation or yoga

• Ask someone you know well to hug you or hug yourself.

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