Alternatives to Self Injury

Here is just a large list of things you can do besides self injury. If you feel the urge coming on, there are many, many things you can do instead of self injuring. Below is just the tip of the iceberg of things you can do. This was taken from a list compiled by myself and users on my message board- Second Chances.

1. Go to SLEEP (I've used this a lot...just went to bed the hell with everything else, at the time the most important thing was for me NOT to cut)
2. Leave the room- just go out, anywhere
3. Call a friend/IM a friend/See a friend (seeing best, calling second, IM if you can't do the other two)
4. Email counselor/Call counselor
5. Exercise (great way to get out that frustrated energy)
6. Write
7. Watch a movie or TV
8. Come here and get support
9. Turn on the radio (dance around if you want to...like me)
10. Go into a room with someone else in it....if you live with someone else like me
11. Play games....free-cell, or other stuff
12. Write letters to people
13. Take a SHOWER! or a bath
14. Curl up into a little ball on the floor and try not to move...try to make myself as small as possible...that helps sometimes...lol, sounds crazy though
15. SING!!!
16. Play video games, violent ones foe when I'm frustrated or angry
17. Practice my guitar 9 keeps my hands busy, and is very relaxing)
18. Reading comics ( of the funny kind, Calvin and Hobbes is AWESOME)
19. Play with my daughter, or take a nap with her
20. Talk to my husband, or friend
21. Take a hot bath or shower, somehow getting clean helps
22. Meditation
23. Yoga, my newest interest has been working wonders
24. Get a list of ways to annoy people, go to the mall, and try to do as many as possible... I've yet to do this, but I plan to sometime...
25. See how many pieces you can rip a piece of paper into
26. Count something....
27. Try to figure out new stupid human tricks (like tongue tricks and things to do with your eyes.... I can finally move my eyes in two seperate directions... though it kinda tires out the muscles....)
28. Fold a paper into a triangle and figure out how to shoot it from your face (I figured out one way... that's not actually inside my mouth)
29. Teach myself something new
30. Draw
31. clean
32. write
33. journal
34. create art
35. rearrange the apartment
36. think of things for the gallery
37. Tearing up magazines is great
38. Punching something (not hard things that are gonna mess up your hand, though)
39. Go driving (only if you are safe!!!)
40. Go to the library
41. Try to see if you can hold perfectly still and count how long you last
42. Paint your nails
43. Look back on old photo's but not ones that are depressing
44. Eat, mainly junkfood hehe, not exactly healthy
45. Try to lighten your mood, go try to find some friends and hang out with them
46. Go to Second Chances
47. Play with pet if you have on ( don't you dare play with it's claws!!!)
48. Listen to music
49. Write poems or stories or in scrapbook
50. Cry
51. Cuddle up with the dog - Until she tries to lick you to death, then kick her outta your room man!!!
52. Deep breathing exercises
53. Go jogging or to the gym
54. Look through magazines and cut out pictures (stick in journal)
55. Talk to my parents (if there's no other option)
56. Computer
57. Homework
58. Shop
59. Annoy my family, yell, scream, interrupt them , dance, be an idiot
60. Stretch
61. Clean, sort out cupboards, drawers, clothes etc. get rid of old stuff. re-organize. move things around. change my room around (i.e. furniture)
62. Stick posters all over my walls (and ceiling) or if there are some there, take them down, put new ones up
63. The other day I made a friendship bracelet and then I did some French knitting
64. Sewing (i don't but it's an idea for those who can actually sew)
65. Think about all the shit that will happen if i start cutting again