Chapter 5

The topic of this chapter: Opposite action and anti self harm ideas. Starting off with opposite action. Opposite action is where you do the opposite of whatever urge you have. For instance, say you feel the urge to isolate, instead you would go somewhere extra public. It's not always helpful but in some situations it is. But onto anti self harm ideas. People with mental health issues don't always self harm but in the case of those who do, we need to know what we can do instead. One option is journaling. Journaling comes in many different forms. Writing your thoughts, writing stories, drawing, poetry, etc. My favorites are writing stories, poetry, and drawing. For instance, I've written stories on this website, published a hard copy of the poetry I've published here, and I've been drawing a lot, even on myself. Self expression is more important than people realize. Having an expressive outlet can be so helpful and I think everyone, whether they have mental health issues or not, should have one. Lately when I get stressed I've been drawing on myself. I draw designs on my arms and legs, and it also functions as a way to cover up any scars that are bothering you. It's a fun and creative response to urges and a good coping skill, and stories and poetry work as great distractions or outlets too. Coping skills are a topic we will get into multiple times throughout this book because they are so important. In the next chapter I will be talking about forms of self harm that most people do without realizing/forms of self harm that people didn't know were self harm. Thank you for reading My Journey Through Mental Health, Going Through it Together.