For Those Who Suffer:

Here is the longer explanation of the four suggestions above. First, reach out to someone that you are close to. Practicing opening up to others about what you are experiencing can help you make it through the urges to self harm or through the suicidal thoughts. Another idea is to reach out for medical help. There can be physical reasons at times that contribute to depression. Some medical advice may be in your best interest.

You can also go to the "Worksheet" page in this website and use the "Recognizing My Emotions" worksheet. This will help you understand what happened to send you into the spiral each time. Why is this useful? It is a step in understanding what a cause or what a contributing factor of the depression could be. When you begin to understand where the thoughts come from, you can start to work on solutions that are good for your health.

Find something to distract yourself. Whatever you enjoy doing or can distract you from unhealthy coping habits, jump into that. There are other things you can do. One of the tools is called Dive Reflex. You can make a bowl of ice water, a cold rag, or a cool-pack. Cover your face for 5 seconds. This will trigger the Dive Reflex. You could also place the cold rag or icepack on your forehead or cheeks instead of the whole face to stimulate a similar reaction. Another way of achieving the same affect is to jump into a cool pool or lake. Once it motivates you out of the distressing thoughts or feelings, you can take the time and go into some of your other tools.