SELF HARM ALTERNATIVES
Hey! Deep breaths. If you're thinking about suicide or self-harm, the first thing you must remember is that it doesn't make you weak, and it definitely doesn't make you selfish. Listed below are some actions you can do to distract yourself from these thoughts. If you would like a friend, or someone to talk to, please feel free to message us on Instagram, or even email us at bmh@becausementalhealth.org if necessary. We love you, we think you are so so worth it, and we'd like you to choose one of the following, and focus on that instead.
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Holding or squeezing ice (eating ice also helps)
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Splashing your face with water
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Getting a rubber band and snapping it against your skin (this could hurt, though it’s better than other ways that people usually choose to self-harm)
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Take a hot shower or bath (Go the extra mile - use your favourite shampoo, drop a bath bomb, and wear your favourite bath robe)
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Use a red market (e.g. a Sharpie) and draw a line where you want to hurt yourself
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Eat something sour - will take your mind off the urge (Lemon, sour lollipops, Sour Patch Kids)
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Massage where you want to self-harm
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Get a red pen or red paint and draw/paint over where you usually self-harm
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Remind yourself as to why you shouldn’t do it (Scars, harms organs, blood loss, leave memories etc.)
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Describe what you are feeling - talk it out or write it down (Is the urge/pain in your chest, fists, legs, arms, head?)
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Bite into a hot pepper or chew a piece of ginger root