In no particular order, here is a list of things you can do instead of self-injuring.

• A hot shower, or relaxing bath (no razors in the tub, though)
• Alphabetize your books
• Alphabetize your CD’s
• Archery
• Bake
• Being with other people
• Breaking plastic plates
• Build a pillow fort
• Buy a home henna tatoo kit (peels off the next day-similar to skin picking)
• Buy a stuffed animal
• Buy cheap teddy bears and take out anger on them instead of self
• Buy yourself some toys and play
• Call a friend and ask for company
• Call a help hotline or your therapist
• Call up an old friend
• Chewing leather (especially if you SI by biting)
• CHOCOLATE
• Cleaning
• Colour (or scribble) over the pretty women in magazines
• Colour with crayons
• Colour-co-ordinate your wardrobe
• Colouring my hair
• Come up with baby names (even if you’re not pregnant)
• Complete something you’ve been putting off
• Cook a meal
• Count ceiling tiles/lights
• Count to one hundred
• Cover yourself with band-aids where you want to cut
• Create something
• Cuddling with a stuffed toy
• Dance
• Detangling yarn or necklaces
• Do a home tan on yourself
• Do a trash clean at your local park
• Do very Glamerous make-up
• Doing school work
• Draw on the walls
• Drawing on yourself in red marker
• Dressing up very glamorous (make sure no one can walk in on you, though)
• Drinking absurd amounts of tea
• Eating something ridiculously sweet (or any favorite food)
• Exercise
• Feed the ducks or birds or squirrels, etc.
• Find butterflies
• Finding someone else you can help out
• Fingerpaint
• Gardening or watering house plants
• Get a tattoo/peircing
• Get into my PJ’s and just veg
• Go bargain - hunting
• Go clubbing
• Go for a peaceful walk
• Go into chat rooms to talk
• Go out and perforn a random act of kindness for someone
• Go out for ice cream
• Go SHOPPING
• Go somewhere very public
• Go through all your old stuff
• Go to a friend’s house
• Go to a loud concert
• Go to a public place and people watch
• Go to the zoo and rename all the animals.
• Going for a nice, long drive
• Going to see a movie
• Have a vivid fantasy love affair with a celebrity
• Having a pillowfight with the wall (yes, neighbours may think you are crazy, but that’s ok)
• Hit things-other than yourself
• Hug a pillow
• Hug yourself
• Hugs-(this one is very nice)
• Hunt for stuff on Ebay (you can find ANYTHING there)
• Hunt for your perfect home in the paper
• Hyperfocus on something like a rock, hand, etc
• Knitting or sewing
• Letting yourself cry (can be very difficult for some)
• Listening to music (try yo use calm music)
• Look at pretty things, like flowers or artwork
• Looking up at the sky (night is especially beautiful) .
• Love yourself
• Make a list of blessings in your life
• Make a tape of your favorite songs
• Make hot chocolate
• Make mashed potatoes
• Making your own list of things to do instead of SI
• Meditate
• Memorise a novel or play or song
• Memorizing German poetry
• Mix warm water and red food colouring, and put in on your skin (feels and looks like blood)
• Name all of your stuffed animals
• Organise bills and such
• Painting or drawing
• Painting your nails
• Plan a dinner party
• Plan your wedding/prom
• Play on a swingset
• Play the 15 minute game (say you can’t cut for 15 minutes, and when the time is up, start again)
• Play video/computer games
• Play with a pet
• Play with a slinky
• Play with facepaint
• Play with modelling clay or Play-Dough
• Playing a musical instrument
• Polish silver or jewellery
• Pop balloons
• Pop bubble wrap
• Posting on web boards, and answering others’ posts
• Punching a punching bag (with gloves on)
• Put on boots and STAMP
• Put on fake nails
• Putting on fake tattoos
• Randomly wave at people
• Re-arrange your house
• Re-organizing your room
• Reading a good book
• Reading things in a different language
• Ride a bicycle
• Ripping paper into itty-bitty pieces
• Rock climbing
• Scream real loud
• Scribbling on sheets an sheets of paper
• Search ridiculous things on the web
• Sex
• Shoot rubberbands across the room.
• Singing
• Sleep (only if you are tired)
• Smile at at least five people (you usually end up smiling genuinely yourself)
• Sort all your photographs
• Start collecting comething
• Stretch
• Stroke nice fabrics
• Surf the net
• Take up a new hobby
• Take up fencing
• Take up Tai Chi
• Talk to someone close to you that knows
• Talk to yourself (or if that feels weird, buy a small tape recorder-I then feel like someone is listening)
• Tearing up socks
• Thinking about how I DON’T want scars for the summer
• Throw a temper-tantrum
• Throw everything (except glass) into the centrer
• Throwing socks against the wall
• Try to build something
• Try to make as many words out of your full name as possible, then do your friends names
• Watch an old, happy movie
• Watch fish
• Watching a candle burn (no playing with the flames)
• Watching a favorite TV show (preferably a comedy)
• Watching a scary (but not bloody, but if bloody movies help, than watch a bloody one) movie.
• Work on a website
• Write yourself an “I love you because” letter
• Writing (poetry, stories, journal, etc.)
• Writting letters or email