Distract Yourself
If You Can
Right ! -- As if "doing things" or "keeping
busy" is 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. |
| |
What is help ?? |
- Something that temporarily diverts you from attempting
suicide.
- Something that temporarily reduces awareness of pain.
- Something that Keeps You Alive.
|
| 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 can 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 . |
#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. |
| 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. |
|
|
- Yes, tell them how you feel.
|
|
-
People love you and
care for you a lot more than you know & a
lot more than they can show.
|
There Are Few Words Which
Can Comfort
Suicidal Persons in Crisis...
If you are Suicidal
|
