Create a safety plan for when you're feeling suicidal

Complete this safety plan to remind yourself of things you can do to stay safe if you’re thinking about harming yourself.

You can:

• Write down your answers to the below questions in a notebook, as a note on your phone or anywhere else where it will be easy to find when you need it.

Try to complete this when you’re OK, so it’s ready if you need it when you’re not.

If you're worried about someone else, read our advice on supporting someone with suicidal thoughts

Who can help

Think about the people who can help if you find yourself struggling to cope. Save their number or email on your safety plan so you can get in touch with them quickly and easily.

Even if you don’t have family or friends close by, you are never alone. Samaritans volunteers are here for you every day of the year, round the clock.

Things that give you hope

Think about the things you love, the things you look forward to, or anything else that makes you feel hopeful.

If you need inspiration, read some of our stories of hope.

Your warning signs

Warning signs are things you can recognise that mean you might be at risk of harming yourself.

These could include:

• Thoughts and images
• Thinking styles (for example catastrophising or ‘all or nothing’ thinking)
• Changes in your mood
• Feeling ashamed or guilty
• Changes in habits or behaviours (for example sleeping poorly or arguing more with family)
• More frequent or severe impulses to self-harm

Things you can do to keep yourself safe

When you’re at risk of harming yourself, it’s a good idea to make it as hard as possible for yourself to do so.

Think about what you could do to make your environment safer. This could include:

• Making it harder to travel by giving your car keys or a travelcard to a trusted person
• Removing items you have used to harm yourself from your home, or giving them to a trusted person
• Asking someone to be with you or check in on you
• Going somewhere where there are lots of people or you feel safe

Save your plan somewhere you can easily find it when you need it.