• Talk to a friend (about something that won’t upset you
• Go for a walk or go on a bike ride.
• Play with your pet or take them for a walk.
• Watch TV (watch something that holds your interest and not upset you).
• Read a good book.
• Work on a puzzle.
• Close your eyes and imagine yourself somewhere you want to be at that moment.
• Write down your feelings.
• Rip up paper.
• Punch a pillow.
• Cooking.
• Crying. A really good way to release emotions.
• Sleep.

— Alternatives for when you’re feeling angry or restless:

• Viciously stab an orange
• Throw an apple/pair of socks against the wall
• Have a pillow fight with the wall
• Scream very loudly
• Tear apart newspapers, photos, or magazines
• Go to the gym, dance, exercise
• Listen to music and sing along loudly
• Beat up a stuffed bear
• Scribble on a piece of paper until the whole page is black
• Go for a run
• Write your feelings on paper then rip it up
• Use stress relievers
• Throw ice cubes at the bathtub wall, at a tree, etc
• Yell at what you are breaking and tell it why you are angry, hurt, upset, etc.

— Alternatives that will give you a sensation (other than pain) without harming yourself:

• Hold ice in your hands, against your arm, or in your mouth.
• Run your hands under freezing cold water
• Snap a rubber band or hair band against your wrist
• Clap your hands until it stings
• Drink freezing cold water
• Splash your face with cold water
• Put PVA/Elmer’s glue on your hands then peel it off
• Massage where you want to hurt yourself
• Take a hot shower/bath
• Jump up and down to get some sensation in your feet
• Write or paint on yourself
• Take a cold bath
• Bite into a hot pepper or chew a piece of ginger root

— Alternatives that will distract you or take up time:

• Say “I’ll self harm in fifteen minutes if I still want to” and keep going for periods of fifteen minutes until the urge fades
• Color your hair
• Count up to ten getting louder until you are screaming
• Complete something you’ve been putting off
• Take up a new hobby
• Make a cup of tea
• Surf the net (try to avoid triggering websites)
• Search ridiculous things on the web
• Call up an old friend
• Do school work
• Watch TV or a movie
• Paint your nails
• Cook
• Make origami to occupy your hands
• Doodle on sheets of paper
• Dress up or try on old clothes
• Write out lyrics to your favorite song
• Read a book/magazine
• Do a crossword
• Make a chain link out of paper counting the hours or days you’ve been self harm free using pretty colored paper
• Knit, sew, or make a necklace
• Buy a plant and take care of it
• Hunt for things on eBay or Amazon
• Browse the forums
• Go shopping
• Memorize a poem with meaning
• Learn to swear in another language
• Look up words in a dictionary
• Go on YouTube
• Color in a picture or colouring book.
• Make a phone list of people you can call for support. Allow yourself to use it.
• Pick a subject and research it on the web - alternatively, pick something to research and then keep clicking on links, trying to get as far away from the original topic as you can.

— Alternatives for when you’re feeling guilty, sad, or lonely:

• Congratulate yourself on each minute you go without self harming
• Draw or paint
• Put a face mask on
• Watch a favorite TV show or movie
• Remember a happy moment and relive it for a while in your head
• Treat yourself to some chocolate
• Try to imagine the future and plan things you want to do
• Look at things that are special to you
• Compliment someone else
• Play with a pet
• Write a poem
• Light a candle and watch the flame (but please be careful)
• Allow yourself to cry; crying is a healthy release of emotion
• Take a hot bath with bath oil or bubbles
• Curl up under a comforter with hot cocoa and a good book
• Make a tray of special treats and tuck yourself into bed with it and watch TV or read

— Alternatives for when you’re feeling panicky or scared:

• Listen to soothing music; have a CD with motivational songs that you can listen to
• Meditate or do yoga
• Name all of your soft toys
• Hug a pillow or soft toy
• Do a “reality check list” – write down all the things you can list about where you are now (e.g. It is the September 25th, 2011, I’m in a room and everything is going to be alright)
• Go for a walk if it’s safe to do so

— Alternatives that will hopefully make you think twice about harming yourself:

• Think about how you don’t want scars
• Remember that you don’t have to hurt yourself just because you’re thinking about self harm
• Acknowledge that self harm is harmful behavior: say “I want to hurt myself” rather than “I want to cut”
• Repeat to yourself “I don’t deserve to be hurt” even if you don’t believe it
• Remember that you always have the choice not to cut: it’s up to you what you do
• Think about how you may feel guilty after self harming
• Remind yourself that the urge to self harm is impulsive: you will only feel like cutting for short bursts of time
• Be with other people
• Make your own list of things to do instead of self harm
• Make a list of your positive character traits
• Be nice to your family, who in return, will hopefully be nice to you
• Put a band-aid on the area where you’d like to self harm
• Think about what you would say to a friend who was struggling with the same things you are and try to be a good friend to yourself.

— Alternatives that give the illusion of seeing something similar to blood:

• Draw on yourself with a red pen or body paint, or go to a site where you ‘cut’ the screen (be aware that some users may find this triggering, so view with caution)
• Cover yourself with plasters where you want to cut
• Give yourself a henna or fake tattoo
• Make “wounds” with makeup, like lipstick
• Paint yourself with red temporary paint.
• ‘Cut’ your skin with nail polish (it feels cold, but it’s hard to get off)

— Alternatives to help you sort through your feelings:

• Phone a friend and talk to them
• Make a collage of how you feel
• Negotiate with yourself
• Identify what is hurting so bad that you need to express it in this way
• Write your feelings in a diary
• Free write (Write down whatever you’re thinking at that moment, even if it doesn’t make sense)
• Make lists of everything such as blessings in your life
• Call a hotline
• Write a letter to someone telling them how you feel (but you don’t have to send it if you decide not to)