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  • harm-minimisation
  1. Coping with Covid-19
  2. Harm Minimisation

Harm Minimisation

To download all of the following information in an accessible PDF format, click here

By harm minimisation we mean things you can do to reduce the risk and make it as safe as possible when self-harming including:

  • thinking about where you harm and what you do
  • delaying self-harm
  • trying to do it at a time where you are able to do the least damage

We know this may not be possible for everyone which is why we are providing this information alongside first aid information and guidance on when you should seek medical help.

Rather than minimise self-harm, your focus may be on trying not to self-harm and we have provided information and suggestions on distractions here and alternatives here. 

There are a number of things you can do which can minimise harm and different things will be useful for different people at different times.

The aim of harm minimisation is to:

  • prepare for self-harm for example by having clean implements and first aid materials easily available

  • try to slow down the process to have as much control as possible

  • think about what wound or other care you might need afterwards

  • try to keep what you do within limits that are safe to manage by yourself 

Not all suggestions will work for everyone, so try not to beat yourself up if you try something and don’t find it helpful. 

For some people, using a combination of harm minimisation, distractions and alternatives helps them to reduce the severity and frequency of their self-harm. 

We are not condoning or encouraging self-harm, rather, facing reality and maximising safety in the event of self-harm.

Delaying Self-Harm

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Delaying is a form of harm minimisation where the aim is to recognise urges to self-harm and to try not to act on them straight away.

Delaying self-harm is not about telling yourself that you can't self-harm, but about trying to wait until urges and emotions are less strong, so you feel more in control and are able to control the level of self-harm.

It often doesn't feel like it at the time, but powerful emotional states and urges to self-harm do pass or reduce with time.

Here are some suggestions that might help you to delay self-harm. Again different things work for different people, so don't beat yourself up if this doesn't work for you right now.


Being Aware of Triggers

Some people find it helpful to think about when they get urges to self-harm and if there are any specific things which make them start thinking about self-harm such as:

  • specific events or experiences

  • times of the day, month or year

  • seeing certain people or going to certain places

  • specific smells, tastes, sounds, images or types of touch

  • or any other patterns they notice about their urges to self-harm

If you are aware of the types of things that trigger your thoughts and feelings of self-harm then you might be able to use that awareness to notice your feelings earlier, and slow down the process that leads from feeling urges to actual self-harm.

You might also find over time that you're able to remove yourself from a situation you are finding triggering or do some other activities which help get you out of a triggered mindset e.g. exercise, loud singing, screaming into a pillow 


Creating a Safe Space in Advance

It can be hard to think clearly if you are distressed or trying to deal with self-harm urges, but some people find it helpful to create a 'safe space', where there is nothing available to harm yourself with - this could be:

  • a specific chair

  • corner of the room

  • inside a cupboard

  • anywhere you can stay until you feel less unsafe

As soon as you become aware of urges to self-harm you can go to the space. You could also put activities there that you know will help to distract you.


Surfing the Urge

When you notice urges you may be able to tell yourself that you will wait a short time:

  • choose (possibly in advance) how long you think you can wait e.g. 30 seconds or 5 minutes - any time is an achievement, but try to choose something you think you can manage

  • you might want to plan an activity that you know will distract you in advance and keep it somewhere you can access it easily

  • see if you still want to harm yourself at the end of this time, if you do then you can

  • if you get to the end of the time and you think you can wait longer you can wait for that time again

  • over time you may be able to extend this time and make it longer

If you are able to delay sometimes and not others, try not to beat yourself up - it might not always feel possible and that's OK.

At times when you can't delay then other harm minimisation techniques might be helpful


Keeping Implements in Awkward Places

Some people find it helpful to put what they use to self-harm in a place that is difficult to access, to try and delay self-harm.

This might involve:

  • an inaccessible place - keeping implements in a place that is difficult to get into such as a high cupboard or somewhere that needs to be accessed with a ladder

  • another person - asking someone else to keep things for you and you have to ask for them to use them

  • awkward storage - storing implements inside something that takes a long time to remove, such as layers of wrapping paper or clingfilm or freezing them in a block of ice

Similar to delaying by distraction/surfing the urge, the aim is to slow down the process that leads to self-harm, not necessarily to stop it, and some people find they still need to self-harm when they get what they need and others find it creates enough of a delay for the urges to pass.

There are no wrong or right ways to use these techniques - simply use them in ways which are helpful to you and don't use things which you don't find helpful.


This page from LifeSigns walks you through how to try a fifteen-minute delay

Published: 6th May, 2020

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Where You Harm and What You Do

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Understanding more about your body and the type of self-harm you do can help you to think about how to reduce harm and risk.

It might be help to consider the following three areas:


Developing Awareness of What and Where

One way to reduce harm is to learn which ways of self-harm are less risky than others.

This can be about considering:

  • the location on your body

  • the depth or severity of the injury

  • what you use to self-harm

  • the length of time you self-harm for

and whether you can reduce risk by changing any of these things.


Making Small Changes

Small steps make a difference and any reduction in harm is a huge achievement.

For example, you might feel able to consider:

  • harming yourself on a part of your body away from major blood vessels

  • using a clean implement

  • making a smaller injury than usual

  • reducing the length of time you harm yourself for

It is important to consider what feels possible to you.

Different things will feel possible for different people.


Building Your Knowledge

Knowing some basic anatomy so you are aware of places on the body that are safer to harm in relative terms can be part of this.

The basic principles of this approach are that:

  • the more fleshy, softer parts of the body are safer

  • avoiding major blood vessels and arteries, joints and injuring across tendons and muscles is essential to minimise risk of serious injury and blood loss

This resource produced by the National Self Harm Network gives more information on anatomy and physiology in relation to self-harm

Published: 6th May, 2020

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