It is important to take advantage of moments of temptation to focus on the pain your heart is feeling. The following questions may help you as you begin to allow the Lord to search your heart and identify the root of the problem. Take time to answer them honestly for yourself. No one has to see your answers unless you want to discuss them with someone for feedback. Do not allow the “urge” to control you before you explore the urge. Answer the following questions to help you investigate what is going on internally.

Is there a deeper root you are trying to deal with? It is important for you to think about what your urge to hurt yourself is "saying" about your feelings and your life. This will give you clues about the problems you need to face and work on. Eventually, it will be extremely beneficial for you to find a friend that you can trust and share your deep thoughts with, including this internal struggle and the roots that lie behind it. It is also helpful to seek out a professional counselor to help you process through these questions.

STARTING WITH THE BASICS

1. Have I put my new skills into practice faithfully?
2. Why do I feel I need to hurt myself? What has brought me to this point?
3. Have I been here before? What did I do to deal with it? How did I feel then?
4. What have I done to ease this discomfort so far? What else can I do that won't hurt me?
5. What word(s) would I use to describe the “feeling(s)” I am experiencing right now?
6. What do I tell myself or what do I hear my mind telling me during these times of struggle?
7. What am I trying to say through my wounds?
8. What does the pain I inflict on the outside say about the pain I feel in the inside?
9. How do I feel about myself right now?
10. How will I feel when I am hurting myself? (satisfied, angry, pleasure, guilty, etc.)
11. How will I feel after I hurt myself? (satisfied, angry, pleasure, guilty, etc.) Was it worth it?
12. How will I feel tomorrow morning? (satisfied, angry, pleasure, guilty, etc.)
13. How can I avoid this cause of stress or deal with it better in the future?
14. Do I really need to hurt myself or is there something different I could do to deal with my emotional pain?
15. How close to God or distant from Him do I feel before I hurt myself?
16. How close to God or distant from Him do I feel after I hurt myself?
17. What do I think Jesus feels about me hurting myself?
18. What does He want me to remember during my times of temptation?
19. How will I feel if I don’t resist the temptation?
20. How will I feel if I overcome this wave of temptation?

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