A collection of distraction techniques found from around the internet. Some may sound silly but they may help.

Angry, Frustrated, Restless

Try something physical and violent, something not directed at a living thing:

• Slash an empty plastic soda bottle or a piece of heavy cardboard or an old shirt or sock.
• Make a soft cloth doll to represent the things you are angry at. Cut and tear it instead of yourself.
• Flatten aluminium cans for recycling, seeing how fast you can go.
• Hit a punching bag.
• Use a pillow to hit a wall, pillow-fight style.
• Rip up an old newspaper or phone book.
• On a sketch or photo of yourself, mark in red ink what you want to do. Cut and tear the picture.
• Make Play-Doh or Sculpey or other clay models and cut or smash them.
• Throw ice into the bathtub or against a brick wall hard enough to shatter it.
• Break sticks.

I've found that these things work even better if I rant at the thing I am cutting/tearing/hitting. I start out slowly, explaining why I am hurt and angry, but sometimes end up swearing and crying and yelling. It helps a lot to vent like that.

• Crank up the music and dance.
• Clean your room (or your whole house).
• Go for a walk/jog/run.
• Stomp around in heavy shoes.
• Play handball or tennis.

Sad, Soft, Melancholy, Depressed, Unhappy

• Do something slow and soothing, like taking a hot bath with bath oil or bubbles
• curling up under a comforter with hot cocoa and a good book
• babying yourself somehow
• Do whatever makes you feel taken care of and comforted
• Light sweet-smelling incense
• Listen to soothing music
• Smooth nice body lotion into the parts or yourself you want to hurt
• Call a friend and just talk about things that you like
• Make a tray of special treats and tuck yourself into bed with it and watch TV or read
• Visit a friend.

Numb, Unreal, Craving Sensation/Pain, Dissociating Do something that creates a sharp physical sensation:

• Squeeze ice hard (this really hurts).
• (Note: putting ice on a spot you want to burn gives you a strong painful sensation and leaves a red mark afterward, kind of like burning would.)
• Bite into a hot pepper or chew a piece of ginger root.
• Rub liniment under your nose.
• Slap a tabletop hard.
• Snap your wrist with a rubber band.
• Take a cold bath.
• Stomp your feet on the ground.
• Focus on how it feels to breathe. Notice the way your chest and stomach move with each breath.
Wanting Focus Do a task (a computer game like tetris or minesweeper, writing a computer program, needlework, etc) that is exacting and requires focus and concentration. Eat a raisin mindfully. Pick it up, noticing how it feels in your hand. Look at it carefully; see the asymmetries and think about the changes the grape went through. Roll the raisin in your fingers and notice the texture; try to describe it. Bring the raisin up to your mouth, paying attention to how it feels to move your hand that way. Smell the raisin; what does it remind you of? How does a raisin smell? Notice that you're beginning to salivate, and see how that feels. Open your mouth and put the raisin in, taking time to think about how the raisin feels to your tongue. Chew slowly, noticing how the texture and even the taste of the raisin change as you chew it. Are there little seeds or stems? How is the inside different from the outside? Finally, swallow. Choose an object in the room. Examine it carefully and then write as detailed a description of it as you can. Include everything: size, weight, texture, shape, color, possible uses, feel, etc. Choose a random object, like a paper clip, and try to list 30 different uses for it. Pick a subject and research it on the web. Wanting to See Blood, Scars, or Pick Scabs Draw on yourself with a red felt-tip pen. Take a small bottle of liquid red food coloring and warm it slightly by dropping it into a cup of hot water for a few minutes. Uncap the bottle and press its tip against the place you want to cut. Draw the bottle in a cutting motion while squeezing it slightly to let the food color trickle out. Draw on the areas you want to cut using ice that you've made by dropping six or seven drops of red food color into each of the ice-cube tray wells. Paint yourself with red tempera paint. Get a henna tattoo kit. You put the henna on as a paste and leave it overnight; the next day you can pick it off as you would a scab and it leaves an orange-red mark behind. Wanting the Familiar Ritual of Self-Harm Go through your "ritual” doing everything but self-injuring. This means that you go through the motions of preparing to self-harm, you unpack your tools, your bandages, you get the right music, or whatever it is you find yourself doing while you hurt yourself, and then, at the moment when you would normally start self-injuring, you pack it all away. You can do this again and again until the urge leaves you. (From FirstSigns: "Everything But” Rule.) Some people also find it helpful to bandage themselves as if they'd self-injured. Alternatives to self-harm Some of these ideas will feel like a perfect fit, whilst others will seem ridiculous to you, it's just about seeing what works for YOU, we're all different.These ideas have all been suggested by people who've self-harmed in the past, so they worked for someone! Ideas that simulate self-harm These are ideas that give some of the visual or physical sensation of self-harm without actually causing harm to the body. Ping an elastic band or hair band on your wrist (but not too hard) Draw red lines on your skin Clench an ice cube in your hand Write on your skin Finger paint using red paint On a photo or drawing of yourself, mark in red where you want to hurt yourself Plunge your face into a sink full of freezing cold water for a few seconds Ideas for when you need to vent your feelings Sometimes our feelings become too much for us to bear and the only way we can think of managing them is to hurt ourselves. Here are some alternatives that will help you vent anger, frustration or other extreme feelings. Go somewhere quiet and scream Punch a punch bag Make a ball out of play dough and smash it Hurl lumps of ice at the ground and watch them smash Smash a watermelon Hammer nails into wood Play squash Tear up a magazine Write down what made you feel angry and scribble it out until the paper is worn through Dance like nobody is watching Play music loudly Bang drums or other percussion instruments Run up hill Write a letter to the person who has made you angry, venting your frustration (but don't send it) Cry Cut up an old piece of material Tear up cardboard Have a pillow fight with a wall Stamp your feet Snap sticks in half Sing very loudly Ideas for when you feel alone or down These are ideas which will help when your mood is low. When you feel alone or deeply sad and you don't know why. Look at photographs of your friends and family Think of your favourite day ever Tell someone about your favourite day ever Talk to someone you trust Call a helpline or use an online forum Listen to soothing music Take a walk in the garden, notice each tree and flower and try to learn their names Walk your dog Go to the park and swing, listen to the laugher of children and let it infect you Reread your favourite childhood book Watch silly videos of cats on YouTube Listen to a 'feel good' playlist of songs to lift your mood Ideas for when you need a distraction Sometimes the need to self-harm is less intense but it doesn't go away that fast and you need something to take your mind off it for a little longer. These ideas might help. If you regularly self-harm at the same time each day, you might also find that these are good activities to do at that time, to see if you can avoid your regular self-harm session. Watch something light-hearted on TV Go for a walk Call your best friend for a chat Have a shower Do a jigsaw Find something beginning with every letter of the alphabet Write a letter or an email Read a book Sleep Learn the words to a new song Practice a musical instrument Curl up on a bean bag and watch the world go by Play a computer game Juggle Practice a new skill (e.g. speaking a language, juggling) Bake Sew or knit Build a card house or line of cards then knock it down Look for pictures in the clouds Do some cleaning Work in the garden, dead-head some flowers or do some weeding Fly a kite Watch out for birds and try to identify the different types Skim stones, how many bounces can you do? Dig for worms Write a blog post Alternatives for when you're feeling angry or restless: Scribble on photos of people in magazines 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 Draw a picture of what is making you angry Beat up a stuffed bear Pop bubble wrap Pop balloons Splatter paint Scribble on a piece of paper until the whole page is black Filling a piece of paper with drawing cross hatches Throw darts at a dartboard Go for a run Write your feelings on paper then rip it up Use stress relievers Build a fort of pillows and then destroy it Throw ice cubes at the bathtub wall, at a tree, etc Get out a fine tooth comb and vigorously brush the fur of a stuffed animal (but use gentle vigor) Slash an empty plastic soda bottle or a piece of heavy cardboard or an old shirt or sock Make a soft cloth doll to represent the things you are angry at; cut and tear it instead of yourself Flatten aluminium cans for recycling, seeing how fast you can go On a sketch or photo of yourself, mark in red ink what you want to do. Cut and tear the picture Break sticks Cut up fruits Make yourself as comfortable as possible Stomp around in heavy shoes Play handball or tennis Yell at what you are breaking and tell it why you are angry, hurt, upset, etc. Buy a cheap plate and decorate it with markers, stickers, cut outs from magazines, words, images, what ever that expresses your pain and sadness and when you're done, smash it. (Please be careful when doing this) The Calm Jar (Fill a mason jar or similar with colored water and glitter. When feeling upset or angry you can shake it to disturb the glitter and focus on that until the glitter settles.) Blow up a balloon and pop it 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 Wax your legs 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 Arm wrestle with a member of your family Take a cold bath Bite into a hot pepper or chew a piece of ginger root Rub liniment under your nose Put tiger balm on the places you want to cut. (Tiger balm is a muscle relaxant cream that induces a tingly sensation. You can find it in most health food stores and vitamin stores.) 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 Sing on the karaoke machine Complete something you've been putting off Take up a new hobby Make a cup of tea Tell and laugh at jokes Play solitaire Count up to 500 or 1000 Surf the net Make as many words out of your full name as possible Count ceiling tiles or lights Search ridiculous things on the web Colour coordinate your wardrobe Play with toys, such as a slinky Go to the park and play on the swings Call up an old friend Go "people watching" Carry safe, rather than sharp, things in your pockets Do school work Play a musical instrument Watch TV or a movie Paint your nails Alphabetize your CDs or books Cook Make origami to occupy your hands Doodle on sheets of paper Dress up or try on old clothes Play computer games or painting programs, such as photoshop Write out lyrics to your favorite song Play a sport Read a book/magazine Do a crossword Draw a comic strip 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 Make 'scoobies' - braid pieces of plastic or lace, to keep your hands busy 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 Play hide-and-seek with your siblings Go outside and watch the clouds roll by Plan a party Find out if any concerts will be in your area Make your own dance routine Trace your hand on a piece of paper; on your thumb, write something you like to look at; on your index finger, write something you like to touch; on your middle finger, write your favorite scent; on your ring finger, write something you like the taste of; on your pinky finger, write something you like to listen to; on your palm, write something you like about yourself Plan regular activities for your most difficult time of day Finish homework before it's due Take a break from mental processing Notice black and white thinking Get out on your own, get away from the stress Go on YouTube Make a scrapbook Colour in a picture or colouring book. Make a phone list of people you can call for support. Allow yourself to use it. Pay attention to your breathing (breath slowly, in through your nose and out through your mouth) Pay attention to the rhythmic motions of your body (walking, stretching, etc.) Learn HALT signals (hungry, angry, lonely, tired) Choose a random object, like a paper clip, and try to list 30 different uses for 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. Take a small step towards a goal you have. Re-organize your room Name all of your soft toys Play the A-Z game (Pick a category ie. Animals, and think of an animal for every letter of the alphabet Have a lush warm bubble bath with candles! Do some knitting Do some house hold chores Alternatives that are completely bizarre. At the least, you'll have a laugh: Crawl on all fours and bark like a dog or another animal Run around outside screaming Laugh for no reason whatsoever Make funny faces in a mirror Without turning orange, self tan Pluck your eyebrows Put faces on apples, oranges, or other sorts of food Go to the zoo and name all of the animals Color on the walls Blow bubbles Pull weeds in the garden Alternatives for when you're feeling guilty, sad, or lonely: Congratulate yourself on each minute you go without self harming Draw or paint Look at the sky Instead of punishing yourself by self harming, punish yourself by not self harming Call a friend and ask for company Buy a cuddly toy Give someone a hug with a smile Put a face mask on Watch a favorite TV show or movie Eat something ridiculously sweet 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 Make sculptures Watch fish Youtube funny videos! Let yourself cry Play with a pet Have or give a massage Imagine yourself living in a perfect home and describe it in your mind If you're religious, read the bible or pray Light a candle and watch the flame (but please be careful) Go chat in the chat room Allow yourself to cry; crying is a healthy release of emotion Accept a gift from a friend Carry tokens to remind you of peaceful comforting things/people Take a hot bath with bath oil or bubbles Curl up under a comforter with hot cocoa and a good book Make affirmation tapes inside you that are good, kind, gentle (Sometimes you can do this by writing down the negative thoughts and then physically re-writing them into positive messages) Make a tray of special treats and tuck yourself into bed with it and watch TV or read Write words in the sand for them to be washed away Alternatives for when you're feeling panicky or scared: See, hear and feel-5 things, then 4, then 3 and countdown to one which will make you focus on your surroundings and will calm you down 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 Hyper focus on something Do a 'reality check list' write down all the things you can list about where you are now (e.g. It is the 9th November 2004, I'm in a room and everything is going to be alright) With permission, give someone a hug Drink herbal tea Crunch ice Hug a tree Go for a walk if it's safe to do so Feel your pulse to prove you're alive Go outside and attempt to catch butterflies or lizards Put your feet firmly on the floor Accept where you are in the process. Beating yourself up, only makes it worse Touch something familiar/safeLeave the room Lay on your back in bed comfortably (eyes closed), and breathe in for 4, hold for 2, out for 4, hold for 2. Make sure to fill your belly up with air, not your chest. If your shoulders are going up, keep working on it. When you're comfortable breathing, put your hand on your belly and rub up and down in time with your breathing. If your mind wanders to other things, move it back to focusing ONLY on the synchronized movement of your hand and breathing. Give yourself permission to.... (Keep it safe) Create a safe place for yourself and take yourself there Lay on the grass and watch the clouds. You can try to make pictures with them too. Light a candle and watch the flame Alternatives that will hopefully make you think twice about harming yourself: Think about how you don't want scars Treat yourself nicely Remember that you don't have to hurt yourself just because you're thinking about self harm Create a safe place to go 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 Avoid temptation Get your friends to make you friendship bracelets: wear them around your wrists to remind you of them when you want to cut 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 Recognize and acknowledge the choices you have NOW Pay attention to the changes needed to make you feel safe Notice "choices" versus "dilemmas" Lose the "should-could-have to" words. Try... "What if" Kiss the places you want to SH or kiss the places you have healing wounds. It can be a reminder that you care about myself and that you don't want this Choose your way of thinking, try to resist following old thinking patterns The Butterfly Project- draw a butterfly on the place(s) that you would self harm and if the butterfly fades without self-harming, it means it has lived and flown away, giving a sense of achievement. Whereas if you do self-harm with the butterfly there; you will have to wash it off. If that does happen, you can start again by drawing a new one on. You can name the butterfly after someone you love, or have a loved one draw it for you. Write the name of a loved one [a friend, family member, or anyone else who cares about you] and write their name where you want to self harm. When you go to self harm remember how much they care and wouldn't want you to harm yourself. 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. Make a bracelet out duct tape, and put a line on it every day (Or any period of time) you go without self harm. When it's full of lines, take it off and make a chain out of all the bracelets and hang it up somewhere where you can be reminded of your great progress. 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 such as this, 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 Take a small bottle of liquid red food coloring and warm it slightly by dropping it into a cup of hot water for a few minutes. Uncap the bottle and press its tip against the place you want to cut. Draw the bottle in a cutting motion while squeezing it slightly to let the food color trickle out. Draw on the areas you want to cut using ice that you've made by dropping six or seven drops of red food color into each of the ice-cube tray wells. Paint yourself with red tempera paint. 'Cut' your skin with nail polish (it feels cold, but it's hard to get off) Use red food colouring on your skin 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 Make a notebook of song lyrics that you relate to 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) Start a grateful journal where everyday you write down three: good things that happened/ things that you accomplished/ are grateful for/ made you smile. Make sure the journal is strictly for positive things. Then when you feel down you can go back and look at it. Alternatives to Self-Harm and Distraction Techniques These are some ideas for helping people delay or avoid self-harm that you might wish to consider they've all been suggested by people who self-harm. Some ideas might seem ridiculous, but others might work. Different people find that different things help, and it isn't failure if you try something and it doesn't help. You will be able to add things which you have discovered. Expressing Feelings Letting it out PHYSICALLY Scream as loud as you can HIT a cushion / punch bag / throw a cushion against a wall Smash a water melon Kick a football against a wall Squeeze ice really hard Squeeze a stress ball Tear up a newspaper/phone directory Play loud music and dance energetically be as wild as you like Draw on the place you want to cut with red marker pen, fake blood or watered down food colouring Write words on yourself with a red marker pen Spend some energy - go for a walk/swim/go to the gym/ride a bike/go running Trying to work out how you're feeling¦ Ask yourself 'Do I feel ANGRY?' 'Do I feel anxious?' 'What about?' Ask yourself 'What would the razor blade say if it could talk to me?' Write a letter to someone you're angry with (hurt by etc.) saying how you feel (No need to send it.) Write a list of your achievements Write a letter to yourself saying 'I love YOU because...' Make a list of things you're thankful for Make a wish list Talking about it Talk to a friend Call the Samaritans or other helpline Allow yourself to cry (if you can) Draw / paint / collage / paper mache / finger paint / sculpt in clay - to express what you want to do or what you are feeling Write a poem / story / song / joke / autobiography / parody / musical Write a DIARY / journal or read old diaries (unless there might be triggers) Write an online journal Scribble a word again and again to say how you're feeling e.g. lonely, angry Deface a magazine (preferably your own) Paint with red paint using your fingers Write a message in a self-harm chatroom on the internet Take some photos Play an instrument / Sing to music as LOUD as you can Put on music which expresses how you are feeling Write out the soundtrack to your life if it were a film Imagine a colour which expresses your feelings then change it in your mind to another colour Make a memory box / scrapbook Write an alternative ending to a story Watch a foreign language channel and make up your own interpretations Create your own cartoon characters / legends Comforting Yourself Have a bath or shower Stay in bed Use aromatherapy oils Eat chocolate (or whatever) Have an 'emergency box' with whatever helps you cope Buy something special Massage your hands / arms / feet (or the area you want to harm) Stroke a pet / cuddle a teddy Smoke a cigarette Ask a friend to hold you Paint your nails / Have your hair done Have a cup of tea Rock / hug yourself Give yourself a henna tattoo Meditate / yoga Distractin yourself Leisure Activities Watch television / video / DVD Play on a computer Go on the internet Learn a new skill (juggling / making balloon animals) Do puzzles / play chess / make your own puzzles Origami / Scobidous / make jewellery Sew / knit Go through a photo album Design a dream house Have a debate Build a card house Make a paper chain of the days its been since you last cut (add a new one every day) Find out how to put 8 queens on a chessboard without any of them being able to kill each other (There are 92 possible ways to do this) Make a T-shirt Look for pictures in the clouds GETTING OUT AND ABOUT 1. Sweep the path 2. Wash your car 3. Do some gardening 4. Go for a drive 5. Go to an arcade or playground 6. Make a kite/fly a kite 7. Get on a train and go to the sea 8. Look at constellations Being Productive 1. Catch up on DIY / housework 2. Cook/bake something 3. Have a clear out give your old stuff to charity 4. Re-arrange your room/decorate 5. Read/study 6. Give your pets a bath 7. Volunteer somewhere 8. Join a class 9. Think about what you'd like to change about your life and make a plan 'When you're not feeling like self-harming, write a list of reasons to avoid self-harm. The list will be different for each person - it's whatever makes sense to you. Look at the list when you feel like harming yourself. It could include things like: "I've managed for two weeks without harming. I don't want to start again" "Once I start it's difficult to stop" "I'll regret the damage afterwards" "It doesn't help in the long run. I can harm now but I'll need to do it again in a couple of days." "I don't want to end up in hospital" "If I can hang on the need to self-harm sometimes passes" "There may be consequences I don't want e.g. brain damage, paralysis" "Self-harm affects my relationships" 1. Learn CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) or DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy) techniques. 2. When you're feeling good write yourself a letter you can read when you want to self-harm. 3. Write down why you do not deserve to be hurt. Making yourself safe Try to identify things that prompt you to self-harm. If possible avoid them or prepare for them Avoid shops that sell things you might use to harm yourself Stay with a friend Ask GP to give you weekly prescriptions or pick up medication for two days at a time from the chemist Do not stockpile medication (prescribed or over the counter) Reducing stress Do some relaxation exercises / listen to a relaxation tape Ask a friend to look after the children for a few hours Reduce your commitments in the next few days Rewarding yourself for not self-harming Keep a chart add a star for each day / hour you have not self-harmed If you do self-harm, just leave a space and start again Delaying self-harm Keep things you harm yourself with in a locked cupboard or in a box with sellotape around it. It gives you time to think between wanting to self-harm and doing it. Phone Samaritans arrange to ring again in an hour/ two hours and promise yourself you will not harm before then Use any of the suggestions for avoiding self-harm to try and delay it for a while