In today’s time, thoughts of self-harm or suicidal thoughts occur often in individuals. Anyone can encounter these negative and provoking voices―whether it’s your classmate, neighbor, sibling, friend, or stranger―the victims can be unexpected.

Suicidal or self-harming triggers can be intrusive, overbearing, and even debilitating, but it can be coped with and handled in ways that don’t result in harm.

Here are some techniques on how you can pull through during these overwhelming situations:

1. Shock yourself with something cold.

Holding an ice cube in your hand, or putting a cold glass to your face and feeling your body slowly cool down. Noticing your body cooling down or the ice cube melting can calm you down. Shocking yourself and your body with something cold is an intense physical sensation that will keep your mind off of emotional distress.

2. Maintain a journal.

If you struggle with self-harm because you suppress how you feel. Keeping a journal, that is private and where you can jot down all your feelings and thoughts with no filter can help you express these feelings. Even if you are not much of a writer, doodling around your journal is also a way to express. Writing how you feel, your thoughts, your triggers is not just a way of emotional release but can also track how often you have these thoughts and what can trigger them.

3. Focus on breathing.

Self-harm thoughts are intrusive and can make you act in self-harm quickly. To react to these impulses to harm yourself, you can distract your mind by focusing on something else. Focusing on your breathing, your length of inhales and exhales will place your mind away for negativity. Deep breathing and even guided meditation will not only distract yourself but also put yourself in a deep relaxed state.

4. Release emotions with an object.

Oftentimes, acting in self-harm can be an impulse reaction. It happens without much thought but is used as a way to relieve tension in the body but harming yourself in turn. Release your emotions and tensions through a stress ball, tearing up pieces of scratch paper or punching a pillow can serve as effective ways to release emotions without harming yourself.

5. Use an app.

Phone applications like Calm Harm, Self-Heal and My Shiny Thing are all designed to help you cope with thoughts of self-harm. They can provide comfort, distraction, or activities you can do to halt the thoughts.

Self-harming and suicidal thoughts can inflict anyone. If you have these thoughts or if you know someone who has these, share these methods to help them ease their mind and to hopefully eventually halt these negativity altogether.