life of a dreamer

Cold Weather Is Coming, Choose One To Keep Warm!

Floral Hoodie

Color Block Sweatshirt

Cat Sweatshirt

I don’t Believe In Humans Sweatshirt

Humans Aren’t Real Sweatshirt

every girl has that little pouch of fat on her lower tummy, despite what magazines try n show u, you have important organs there that need to be protected don’t try and get rid of ur pouch

ur body is smarter than u think and it knows what to do when u eat more than normal. one bad day, or even week, of eating poorly isn’t gonna ruin anything at all I pinky promise

if u think u look good up until u try taking a selfie, it’s not ur fault - our faces are asymmetrical and when u see ur face flipped it will look unnatural to u, since u don’t see it that way when u look in the mirror. to everyone else it looks perfectly fine

no one’s stomach looks the same at 8pm as it does at 8am. no one has a chiseled six pack after a day of eating, not even the super fit people u see on tumblr, because ur stomach naturally expands after eating and expecting to have a flat tummy before bed is very unrealistic

no one notices if the bags under ur eyes are bad today. no one pays attention to the bump in ur nose or the zit on ur chin or the piece of hair that u missed when u were straightening. literally no one notices these things except you so stop worrying about it ur gonna be fine

Original Post Here: http://selfcareafterrape.tumblr.com/post/52229189953

[All slides on a background of gradients of light purple with a dot grid]

(Slide 1) I want to Self Injure What can I do?

(Slide 2)

First, Acknowledge these truths.

You are a strong person. You are a good person.

Wanting to Self Injure does not make you a bad person. It does not make you weak. It does not mean you are wrong.

You can make it through this.

(Slide 3)

Now—why do you want to self harm?

It is important to recognize that there are many different reasons that this urge happens.

It may be an attempt to get rid of feelings/self soothe, and act of shame/guilt, a distraction, or an attempt to feel anything at all.

It may be something else entirely, but those are common reasons—and often the base of other reasons.

(Slide 4)

I hate myself/I deserve this.

No. You don’t. You don’t deserve this. You are a good person, you are a strong person, you are a worthy person.

Create a mantra of positive self-affirmations.

Understand that no matter what happened, it was not your fault. You do not deserve to hurt. You do not need to punish yourself.

Talk to a friend if you can, ask them to help reassure you that you aren’t a bad person.

Go take a shower. Especially if you self injure because of trauma—go take a shower. Allow yourself to feel clean. Exfoliate, scrub, do whatever you need to.

Have a list of reasons why you’re a good person available so that you can look at it. I keep a file with thank you notes that the kids I volunteer with have written me. Ask a friend to help if you can’t think of any.

(Slide 5)

I just want to feel something

Hold a piece of ice

Walk around barefoot

talk a cold/hot shower. (nothing too cold or too hot though.)

Watch a really emotional TV show/movie that you’re invested in.

Listen to slam poetry.

Part of the problem may be that you feel so many things, that your brain might have decided that it would be easier to go numb. If this is the case, try and break down all the different things that you could potentially be feeling—and all the reasons you have to feel something right now. Identify your stressors and try and place how you feel about each individual thing.

Eat really cold ice cream. Focus on the sensation and the taste.

Write on your skin with a sharpie/felt tip marker.

(Slide 6)

Distract Me, Please

Paint your nails

Make a playlist

Write a poem

Call a friend

Sculpt Something

Go pet a cat

Play an online game

Create a collage

Go for a walk

Make dinner

Go on Wikipedia and learn everything you can about _____ (an animal, a Greek god, a star system.)

Lear how to play basic rudiments like paradiddles, flam taps. You can do this with pencils, spoons, fingers

Dye your hair

Go outside and pull weeks

Do 25 jumping jacks

Do a deep breathing exercise

Yoga
Finger pain

Write a list of reasons why your best friend is cool

Play with play dough

Plan next weeks outfit

Go through your clothes and get rid of things that don’t fit

Organize you book shelf in an unusual way (like by color.)

Make a bracelet

Go outside and make a chalk mural.

(Slide 7)

I just want all the bad feelings to go away.

Write them down. Write down your bad feelings and then rip up the paper, or burn it, or stab it repeatedly with your pen.

Express your bad feelings creatively. This allows you to further process them—and that is a good thing.

Listen to angry music. Have a play list make up before you feel bad.

Have a list of emotions where you can easily find them. Part of the problem some people have is that they don’t know what they’re feeling exactly. It makes them feel better once they understand what they’re feeling.

Scream, yell, rant angrily about the thing that is making you upset. Make sure to say ‘This is not my fault’ out loud. Because it isn’t. And sometimes it really helps to fear it—for you to believe it.

Have a stress ball that you can squeeze.

Bake something from scratch—kneading the dough will help get out the tension. Doing it from scratch it gives you something to focus on. It’s a sensory experience which is always a bonus. And you have a final product which is always a good thing.

(Slide 8)

Remember

You are a good person. You are worthy person. You can do this.

Self Injury does not make you weak.

If you end up relapsing, everything will be okay. That does not make you weak. That does not mean all your time not self injuring was for nothing.You are on a long journey towards being better, and there will be set backs. But at the end—it will be so worth it.

Helpful Links:

what is self harm?

alternatives and coping methods

first aid for self harm

a guide for those who self harm

a guide to coping with urges

more alternatives

I want to self harm, what can I do?

hotlines

long term effects of self harm

read others’ stories

scars and treatments

using sex as self harm

the butterfly project

recoveryourlife support community

Activities and DIY:

100 art therapy exercises

calming glitter jar

diy sock cat plushie 

reducing self harm worksheet

self harm workbook

positive journal idea by a follower

the ‘hurt yourself less’ workbook

zen and anti stress colouring sheets

Helping a Friend:

understanding self harm

supporting a friend who self harms

supporting a partner who self harms

Interactives:

100,000 stars

7cups self harm chat

blahtherapy

boosterbuddy app

disgruntle me

do nothing for 2 minutes

emotions wheel

make everything ok

neonflames

planetarium

rainymood