when you think that nothing other than picking up that knife will help. But before you self harm write down the issue that's hiding behind the urge. Look at it, and ask yourself these questions: Why do I feel I need to hurt myself? What has brought me to this point? Have I been here before? What did I do to deal with it? How did I feel then? What I have done to ease this discomfort so far? What else can I do that won't hurt me? How do I feel right now? How will I feel when I am hurting myself? How will I feel after hurting myself? How will I feel tomorrow morning? Can I avoid this stressor, or deal with it better in the future? Do I need to hurt myself? Write down the answers to those questions. They are difficult ones to ask, and the answers may not be easy to hear, but in order to reduce or stop your self harm you need to look at why you want to do it, and ask yourself if there's anything else you can do. Once you've thought about those questions, look at these: How will this situation or feeling change if I hurt myself? What will hurting myself bring to the situation? What will it take away from the situation? How do I want to feel about this in the long run? Is hurting myself likely to get me closer to or farther from feeling that