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Replacing Self Injury (formerly
Distractions)
In many
cases, people who self injure believe that the only thing involved in
leading yourself to a life of recovery, is quitting self injury.
Quitting can only be achieved if you find a new, healthy way of
coping with your problems and/or emotions.
If you try to quit self injury without substituting it with
something else, you will be left with a lot of emotions and generally
overwhelmed, and in most cases attempts to quit will be unsuccessful.
Self injury
can be replaced with a multitude of healthy activities.
You can try some of the suggestions below. If you find that some of
them do not fit your lifestyle then try to come up with alternatives using
your personal interests. Make sure
that whatever you decide to use as a replacement is time consuming, and
involves your mind in some way. Also
make sure this activity is something that brings you joy, and not
frustration or other negative feelings.
These ideas
were submitted by members from Equilibrium and SIA and are an excellent
way of coping through rough patches. Thank
you to all of your contributions!
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Get
Creative! |
Chill
Out! |
Get
Active! |
- Write a
poem/story/song
- Draw/sketch/doodle
- Sew
- Make something
- Play an
instrument
- Build a
website
- Do some
sculpting
- Organise your
music collection with Artist/Song/Album and Genre.
- Surf internet
shopping sites like Amazon
and leave reviews for everything you own or have used
- Start a
collection, badges, candles, ornaments, it's up to you!
- Make some
bracelets
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- Listening to
music
- Talk to
somebody close
- Sleep or take
a nap
- Read a good
book
- Watch TV /
DVDs
- Post on
message boards
- Get a massage
- Hug someone
- Hang out with
friends
- Sing
- Take a long
bath
- Go for a drive
- Play on your
PC / Games Console
- Learn Tarot.
Try the Magicka
School they have free courses online.
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- Meditate /
Pray
- Do some
gardening
- Cook a proper
meal
- Dance
- Do some yoga
- Ride your bike
- Go to the gym
- Go for a run
- Go skating
- Help someone
- Go shopping
- Clean the
house
- Go around
taking photos
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Displacement |
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- Snap your
wrist with a rubber band or a hair band
- Use washable,
non-toxic markers to draw on your skin
- Let yourself
cry
- Write a letter
to the person or problem that is upsetting you, but don't mail
it
- Scream at the
top of your lungs
- Shout
- Throw things
(such as ice cubes or your pillow, NOT something like glass)
- Rant about
what you are upset about
- Beat up a
pillow / punch bag
- Shred a
phonebook or a newspaper into a thousand pieces
- Instead of
harming yourself hold an ice cube against your skin
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Please
keep in mind that our lives, personalities, and lifestyles are constantly
changing.
Change is an every day occurrence.
A hobby that works for you today, may not work for you next month.
Do not let this discourage you.
The more you embrace, accept, and encourage change the easier the
transition will be.
So move on to a new hobby that catches your interest.
A hobby may last you years, or just a few weeks, all depending on
you.
Keep that in mind!
Also take into consideration having more than one hobby.
Spend a week doing scrap booking, and then the following week
journaling.
Whatever you feel would work best at that particular time.
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