What are your 'coping techniques'?

I am in therapy, but we don't really talk about coping techniques...however my T knows that I SI on occasion. According to her, my ED is also SI.

Anyway, I am wondering when techniques you use to prevent yourself from SI'ing? I have had a really horrible couple of days and just feel the NEED to hurt myself. The more I try not to do it, the more I want to. Its almost like a physical craving...

There are quite a few coping methods that I could suggest.

Slapping rubber bands on your wrists, using non toxic pens to draw red lines on your skin, doing house work, chores and going for a walk. Sure these are small things but they've kept me from self-harming.

Some things that help me are:

Sleeping
Having a cup of tea
Watching a movie
Emailing my counselor
Wearing rubber bands on my wrist and popping them
Eating something I like (Chocolate)
Baking cupcakes
Writing in my journal
Texting/calling a friend (even maybe letting them know you are struggling)
Listening to loud music to drain out the voices
and most recently; coloring intricate pictures that require focus.

Hope some of these ideas help!

Thanks both of you. I was hoping that the feeling would pass by today, but its still there.

My T was great, I sent her a text about 8.15pm to say I was struggling and she called me 10mins later. I am lucky to have such a great T...but today that urge is just as strong.

I am just so tired of fighting, I am feeling so alone and so sad and cannot see a way out of it.
I have so much in my life to be thankful for and happy about, but I cannot feel it. I think I am just wrong and damaged beyond repair.

You're welcome! It's great that you have an understanding therapist. These are just negative thoughts you're thinking, I'm sure this feeling will pass very soon. Just keep yoursef focused on recovery and you'll get there.

Thanks IAM, that's really reassuring

Had another chat to my T this afternoon and it has helped. I just need to remember that I don't need to punish myself. I am going to journal this evening and see if it helps.

What I find helpful is instead of drawing red lines on my skin, I doodle on my arms. Usually butterflies (butterfly-project.tumblr.com*) but sometimes other things. After I think, I can't possibly cut there, there's a drawing there. I also flick and pinch the areas I want to cut when I'm in a place where I can't doodle, like work.

*(I don't follow all the rules of the butterfly project anymore but that's where I started)

I'm glad you are feeling some relief today.
I do a lot of what was already suggested, or I will walk the dogs, go to the beach, call a friend (just to chat), do some kind of art... It works some of the time, other times it does not. My former T kept tyring to underscore that the successes with each technique will change and that I should not get discouraged when things that worked yesterday don't work today. She reminded me to keep going through the skills every time.
There are also some lists of alternative at the top of this forum.

My T has kind of left SI alone with exception to giving me elastic bands (that aren't very effective for me).

Two that have been suggested by other professionals that are involved in getting me stable right now might be helpful for you.

Baring in mind that I si on an impulse reaction (punching walls) and self hate/loathing reaction (cutting), the impulse can be hard to catch hold of as it normally takes less than a second for the surge and reaction

But they told me about the STOP technique which basically involves shouting stop in your head and then using breathing (breath in for 3, hold for 3, let out for 3 x 20) that has been pretty effective actually... by the time I'm done and having concentrated, the impulse has dissipated.

The other one (which I haven't used) is to hold an ice cube... they even suggested pre dying them with red food colouring.

Listening to music, but it has to be HAPPY music!! My favorite for this is Relient K. When I'm not wanting to SI I listen to RED, as they have a lot of songs that seem to be about depression and seem to speak the words that I could never actually say.

Something that I haven't tried yet, but think might be helpful is doing the whole "draw red lines wherever you want to cut" thing, but then putting bandaids over those areas (this will keep you from turning the lines into actual cuts, and make you feel as though you've already harmed. Then, you cover the bandages up however you normally would, and the next day, or next time you want to cut, you can rip the bandaids off and it will hurt like heck, but won't cause any actual damage. You can then repeat this if needed, or if the urge has passed you can wash off the lines and then feel good about how you didn't leave any lasting scars and can wear whatever now without having to worry about covering anything up.
The other tactics people mention here are all awesome too! However, if you try the rubberband thing, be very careful. I get carried away with that and leave bruises, and then when it doesn't help I usually just give in, or hit myself instead--which is just as bad as cutting!

***************TW*******************

A week later..and the urges are getting worse and worse I have SI'd a little bit, but it just didn't feel enough. I don't think any pain is enough right now.

When I am out driving, I find myself wondering if I am brave enough to just steer off the road and do myself some damage. THAT would hurt...but maybe not even enough then.
I am not suicidal, its not about wanting to be dead, its about wanting to feel a pain that's so deep and takes my breath (and focus) away.