| |
SuicideCrisisCenter |
|
When No Hope Is In
Sight |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISTRACTIONS
Can SAVE You -- Temporarily...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Distract Yourself If You Can
Right ! -- As if "doing things" or "keeping
busy"
were going to help !!
Trust me, I know that
- Nothing takes the pain away
.
- And the mere suggestion that some of the
silly ideas below could make you "feel better" may
be offensive or upsetting to those who are desperately
depressed or overwhelmed by suicidal compulsions.
.
- But until your treatment kicks in, you
have to pass the time & get through the many moments
of agony in the days ahead.
.
- I really don't know how I made it through,
but I did and I am glad to be here and I want to do what
I can to help you get through.
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Distractions Can
-
Decrease your awareness of pain for short
bursts of time
.
-
Pass the agonizing hours and days waiting
for treatments to work
.
- Postpone a suicide attempt
.
-
In other words, can save your life an increment
at a time
.
And for a while, that is all we have
.
-
Although it may not feel like "help" --
in the long run it may keep you alive.
.
-
And "keeping you alive" may
not sound great to you now, but once you are well -- you
will be so glad you survived.
.
Sure ! Laying down sleeping, sitting, doing
nothing is fine as long as you...
.
- DON'T KILL YOURSELF !!
DON'T EVEN TRY.
.
-
Distractions can possibly help you stop
thinking about it for short increments of time.
.
-
If nothing can distract you, if you are
too suicidal, you may need to go into a hospital just to
keep yourself from attempting suicide.
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Distract Yourself
If You Can
There may be nothing listed below which you
can even consider doing.
Just the ideas cause pain.
Dying right now may be the only thing on your
mind.
But there also may be
just one little idea that could catch & help you hang on.
________________
Sometimes I could work at my job all day, but
could only lie in bed suffering in the evening. My husband
fixed my supper. And I only spoke of my death, my funeral,
and his life after I died.
But somehow, I made it through.
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
the Distractions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#1 - Work overtime if you can work.
Of course watching TV & movies is the basic
for distraction. But doing other things while the TV is on gives
an added dimension & keeps you company. |
For days at a time I worked jigsaw puzzles while
watching re-run cable movies. |
Paint by number, string beads, bake a cake or
cookies for someone's birthday. |
Have hot chocolate with
whipped cream or marshmallows. Good with wheat toast & butter.
Eat ice cream and don't feel guilty. |
| |
Knit,
crochet, needlepoint, play solitaire, Monopoly or even children's
board games or card games. |
Lincoln Logs, Legos,
sculpting clay, Playdough, stickers, stamps. |
Sand art, beads, coloring, or new
easy stained glass (Gallery Glass) kits |
Visit the crafts,
hobby or toy stores for other ideas - or look online. |
Crafts
stores & hardware
stores often give classes on how to do particular crafts & household
projects. |
Walk in the garden, mow the
grass, rake the leaves, hand water, pick flowers, trim the Bonsai
tree. |
Watch exercise videos & don't
do the exercise (unless you feel like it). |
Walk the dog, pet the dog, hug the dog, brush or
bath the dog, cat or other comforting critter. |
Go to the pet store - look
at the colorful fish and baby animals. |
ORIGAMI & MENTAL
HEALTH THERAPY
Origami is the art of paper folding
Go
to the mall. Relax, look & shop. Play the race car & arcade
games. |
Eat
interesting foods in the food court, sit & relax. |
Spend the day at a spa retreat,
get a massage, pampering & special foods - guys, you too. |
Go to a salon
- get a facial, have your nails done, have a pedicure (guys
too). Make
sure instruments are clinically sanitary!! |
Take
a scenic afternoon drive & spend the night at a Bed & Breakfast. |
Take a bus tour to a nearby city for the day.
See local tourist attractions. |
Go to a local museum, library, nature walk, or
community visitors center tour. |
Take a train ride to a nearby
city for the day. Have dinner, shop, and ride back. |
Go
to local theatre performances of operas, plays & symphonies. |
Go to the aquarium
Go to the planetarium |
-------------------------------- |
Rent A Movie
Go To The Movies |
Go To the Mall
Go Grocery Shopping |
Go to Disneyland, local
amusement park - play miniature golf - hit golf balls or baseballs. |
Play tennis at the local
park, sit & feed
the ducks, swing on the swings. |
| Go To The Coffee Shop - Bookstore or Library |
Go To The Beach
Go To The Zoo |
Go to Dinner with Family
or Friends or With Yourself |
Have dinner with Family or Friends in their home
or yours |
Stay overnight with Family or Friends |
Have Family or Friends stay
overnight with you. |
Go Out To Dinner, Eat What
You Want Without Guilt. Take Comfort. |
Take dance lessons - ballroom, square dance, polka,
country western, Latin... |
| Go With Someone... |
Go With Yourself !! |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Be safe & sensible. Your
life is still precious, even if you don't believe it right now. Let someone know where you are. Don't make friends, co-workers
or family worry or panic. |
- Take comfort in people, be with
them, and let them help you.
- Don't expect them to really know & understand
how you feel. How
can they know ?
- Yes, tell them how you feel.
- Don't be mad at them. Let them
help you the best they can.
- People
love you and care for you a lot more than you know & a
lot more than they can show.
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When You Feel You Can't Go On...
Call a Suicide Hotline
Crisis Counselors are waiting for your call...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why Live ?
When You Feel Like Dying... ?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
