Helping someone develop more emotional awareness and coping techniques that don’t involve self-harm can help minimize self-injurious behaviors.  This could be something as simple as maintaining a journal that is dedicated to expressing and processing emotions, or something more complex, like going to psychotherapy sessions to learn about processing emotions. Practicing mindfulness through meditation or yoga may help self-injurers be in touch with and process their emotions in a calmer, healthier way.  Additionally, the discipline and strength required to achieve advanced yoga positions may help some people experience a release similar to that felt during self-injury. The self-injurer likely has specific triggers: events, situations, or emotions that cause him to feel the need to self-harm.  If they become aware of those triggers, they can develop more strategies for coping, avoiding the triggers, or making the conscious choice to engage in an alternate activity. It may help if you talk to the person who is practicing self-harm about your own emotional triggers and how you deal with them without injuring yourself.  Be sure to approach such a conversation from a position of caring and offering alternatives, not judging or dividing yourself from them. Based on the reason that the person self-harms, you can offer some alternative strategies for dealing with the feelings.  Not every alternative will work for every person, but suggesting some specific alternatives to try may help your friend find something that works for them.  Someone who self-harms to deal with emotions may feel a similar release through moderate to vigorous exercise, making loud noises, destroying something (such as ripping paper or breaking sticks in half), writing poetry or songs, or writing in a journal.   Someone who self-harms to calm down may be able to substitute the self-harm with self-care in the form of luxurious baths, massages, spending time with beloved pets, or cuddling in a soft, warm blanket.   Someone who self-harms from a feeling of numbness may be able to reach out to friends to feel more connected. They may also be able to feel less numb by replacing the self-injury with less harmful behaviors such as eating foods with very intense flavors, holding an ice cube tightly until it melts, or even taking a cold shower.
اقترح خيارات أخرى للتحكم بالعواطف. ساعد على تحديد المحفزات. قدم بدائل لإيذاء النفس.