distraction techniques

That emotional overload is something I've been having at the moment. Gaming tends to help me at least keep it in the background.

Hi

First I would like to distinguish between self-harm with no interest in ending oneself:

I did lots of experiments as a kid, that were self-harming, though I did not have a concept of self-harm atm. Like ''How it feels when electricity is running trough your body?'', my sister saved me by turning a desk lamp off, where I had my fist instead of light bulb, or ''Human body resistance to heat'' when my mom caught me doing what she described as ''cooking my hand''.

and a suicide, though I prefer to call it seppuku, suicide has such a bad connotations in western culture.

I tried as a teenager, I made a plan that wouldn't implicate anybody, and I wouldn't be found or interrupted, than I tried, but it did not work. I tried to freeze to death, I though naked winter time at -30°C in a forest would guarantee that, I lasted 2 days and hunger made me change my mind and go back. That left me puzzled, but I used it to convince myself that obviously it wasn't my time. 

Since then i had recurring thoughts about doing it again, my life isn't exactly going well, just fighting for survival. But I recognise those thoughts now and fight them before I get to making a plan. 

Only you have the power to do it either way, so convince yourself you hacve a reason. Here are those i use:

Don't give them (them=NTs)  satisfaction by proving them right. I heard olften that I will come up to nothing good or end up in mental asylum from family and strangers throughout my childhood.. Being stubborn helped me in this one.

If you have a partner and/or kids you have an obligation to them to persevere after all they are our choice in our life. No longer an option for me.

I want to see how the world will turn out, what else humans will invent.

Things I want to learn, that requires time.

Things and places I want to see.

I want to get my pension for which i have been paying taxes. Otherwise i would be complicit in goverment and pension funds running scam on people by taking their money and not paying anything in r.eturn

You can make arguments both ways, The choice is yours, i wish you good luck.

Hi Alisha,

Please dont feel bad about it, 173 days is an amazing achievement. I struggle with self harm a lot too and have been feeling the urge a lot lately so I understand

A few things that help me that might help you...

1 The calm harm app is amazing! It has stopped me self harming several days this week. I find the comfort section of it most useful 

2 Have you tried Talking Therapies? My councillor knows about my self harm. I know she will call me on friday and I want to be able to tell her I havn't done it this week. That small goal gives me so much motivation and helps me resist the urge to do it

3 Dont be too hard on yourself. Accept yourself as you are. The more you beat yourself up for it mentally the more you are likely to hurt yourself physically

Hope any of these might help 

Hi, Congratulations on your 173 days! That's an amazing achievement! I wish you luck in the next 200! the techniques that work for me are trigger dependent.

Sensory overload needs sensory distractions, holding or chewing ice, touching and rubbing some of my favourite soft textures, music, and spinning in a circle

Social/emotional overload needs brain distractions. For me I go for maths problems, creative work like crochet or drawing, playing music, journaling, Also talking to someone if there is a really specific trigger

Other techniques I have been recommended that I haven't found useful for me personally but I know others do: doing intense exercise eg burpees or pushups, drawing on the place you wish to cut (either as a representative of the cut or something like a butterfly that you would have to cut through in order to cut), having a hot bath, putting on an elastic band and twanging it against your wrist, going on a walk, making your favourite food and eating it. Breathing exercises, creative writing, 

Hope one of these was helpful, the app Calm Harm also has many useful ideas and it can walk you through them. 

Congratulations again,