You might be feeling so upset, angry and in pain that you believe that these feelings will never end. But it's important to remember that they cannot and will not last. Like all feelings, these will pass.

There are steps you can take right now to stop yourself from acting on your suicidal thoughts. Everyone is different, so it's about finding what works best for you. Here are some practical tips that other people have found helpful when they've felt suicidal:

• get safe right now
• distract yourself
• challenge your thinking

Get safe right now

Distract yourself

• If you're thinking of harming yourself, find self-harm coping techniques that work for you, such as:
  • holding an ice cube in your hand until it melts and focus on how cold it feels
  • tearing something up into hundreds of pieces
  • take a very cold shower or bath. See our tips for coping with self-harm.
• Focus on your senses. Taking time to think about what you can smell, taste, touch, hear and see can help to ground your thoughts.
• Steady your breathing. Take long deep breaths; breathing out for longer than you breathe in can help you to feel calmer.
• Look after your needs. Avoid taking drugs or drinking alcohol as this can make you feel worse. If you can: get a glass of water, eat something if you're hungry, sit somewhere comfortable and write down how you're feeling.
• Get outside. If you are feeling numb, feeling the rain, sun or wind against your skin can help you to feel more connected to your body.
• Reach out. If you can't talk to someone you know, contact a telephone support service or use online peer support such as Elefriends.

Sometimes it's just about survival and focusing on something that's real until the feelings can become easier to deal with.

Challenge your thoughts

• Be kind to yourself. Talk to yourself as if you were talking to a good friend. Do whatever you think might help you to get past these thoughts. It could be something small like having a bath, wrapping yourself in a blanket and watching your favourite film. These ideas may seem silly but it can be easy to forget to do something nice for yourself.
• Tell yourself you can get through this. At times, we can concentrate on the negatives we tell ourselves and lose hope. Repeating to yourself that you can get past these feelings can help you regain hope and focus on getting through it.

This information was published in June 2016. We will revise it in 2019.