Self-Injury Distraction Tools

Since I've been able to have a few weeks without self-injury under my belt, I thought I'd share what I've been doing.  Keep in mind injury free does not mean urge free.  The urges have been right on the edge of self-injury pretty consistently.  Maybe one or more of these can help you.

1. I always start with prayer.  "God, please show me how to not self-injure.  Teach me why I want to self-injure.  Give me the strength to overcome this urge."
2. I get on the internet and watch Britain's Got Talent segments, Christian music videos, Ellen DeGeneres clips and anything else that will not dirty my mind.  I want my mind to be restored to good thoughts and I want my feelings to be restored to meaningful emotions or laughter.
3. I use Play-Doh and squish it in my hand like squeezing a ball and feeling it between my fingers.
4. I watch a movie that is either comedy or action.  Drama doesn't help me as it stirs up more emotions.
5. I have a pack of 80+ index cards where I wrote a bunch of positive sayings.  I read through them at least once and pick out the one that fits what I need.  I'll post those tomorrow.
6. I have kitties I can pet, kiss and love on.
7. I have a favorite pillow I hug when laying down to watch a movie.  It's like Linus' blanket from the Peanuts.
8. I call one of my sisters.  They are very supportive and actively involved in my recovery.
9. I go for a drive or for a walk if the weather is good.
10. I go to the forest preserve and watch the fish jump out of the water.  I also watch the chipmunks scurry about.
11. I listen to calming music.
12. I'll take a shower and use special scented body wash and shampoo.  I like Tea Tree shampoo.
13. I'll use essential oils like Lavender or Peppermint.
14. I do some writing, sometimes on my blog.
15. I try to read something simple like the ads for the week or a few verses in the bible.
16. I'll do a house chore like washing the dishes, cleaning out the cat boxes or cleaning a room.
17. I pay attention to my body - the stress level, emotions and hunger.  When was the last time I ate something?
18. I go to a store, like Goodwill, where I can wander aimlessly for hours.  One time I spent almost five hours in there and I had no clue.  My mind needed to zone out and that's a safe way to do it.
19. I make sure I've taken my medication every day.  If I'm skipping here and there, the urges increase because the neurotransmitters are messed up.  
20. When I really can't get a grip, I call my therapist.  I did that yesterday.  I wanted to know how to track these urges, their causes, etc. so she talked me through it.  Now I have a log sheet that measures the intensity of the urge, what the trigger could have been, how I coped and whether or not I self injured.  This is a huge help because I can get that stuff out of my head and onto paper, I can see the progress I'm making, I can see patterns so changes can be made, and it gives my therapist concrete data to be able to help me.

I encourage you to make a list for yourself.  It really does help in the moment of the urge because you don't have to try and think of how to manage it.  You just grab your sheet, start doing it and stay doing it until it passes and then you can put it away.

I hope this helps!