Thoughts of Suicide? A Brief Guide to Safety Planning

Written By Monica Crawford

*Please note that this is a guide and does not replace therapy or crisis resources. If you are feeling overwhelmed by thoughts of suicide or have concerns about you or someone else attempting suicide, please call 9-8-8 for immediate support. A crisis responder can support you in regulating your emotions, assessing the level of risk, and safety planning.

I’ve spent several years supporting folks who are having thoughts of suicide - as a crisis/suicide line responder, as a research assistant, as a mental health worker, and now as a counsellor in private practice settings.

First, you might be wondering what a safety plan is. It’s a personalized written guide that folks can turn to help manage crisis situations, and is commonly used in suicide prevention. This post focuses on creating a safety plan for thoughts of suicide, however you could also use this template for when you feel emotionally overwhelmed.

When creating a safety plan, I would recommend having two different components to your plan:

  • a short term plan that focuses on immediate emotional regulation and de-escalating suicidal thoughts

  • and a long term plan that focuses on getting professional mental health support

Blank templates are located towards the end of this document. You can also download a PDF version of this document here. You can work on this document on your own, or we can work on it together in our therapy therapy.

First, let’s focus on building a short term plan to begin with. When thoughts of suicide come up, do we feel like we need immediate support? Do we feel like we’re not in control of our impulses? Or are we able to try things on our own to support ourselves first? Reflecting on these questions might help guide us as to what the best option to have as our first step on our safety plan might be.

If we need someone to help ground us, step 1 might be to call a trusted friend or family member, or a local crisis line or suicide line.

Alternatively, we might want to start by grounding ourselves in the present moment to regulate our emotions. Below are some options that you might choose to include in your plan:

  • 5 Senses Grounding Exercise*

  • Basic Exercise*

  • Breath Work*

  • Clench and Release*

  • Body Scan*

  • Meditation

*You can find all of these grounding exercises detailed in a blog post here.

If we’re having trouble grounding, we might try out some options to help distract ourselves from our thoughts and regulate our emotions. Below are some ideas that you might include in your plan:

  • Watching a comfort TV show or movie

  • Taking a warm bath or shower

  • Taking a cold shower or using other methods of cold therapy (cold plunge, ice pack on chest)

  • Colouring

  • Doing a puzzle

  • Painting

  • Crafting

  • Listening to music

  • Scrolling on Instagram or TikTok (although I would recommend searching for content like cute animal videos, crafting, or other projects, vs. doom scrolling)

  • Reading a book

  • Journaling

  • Yoga or stretching

  • Baking cookies

  • Talking with someone you trust like a friend or family member

  • Spending time with a pet

  • Playing a video game or a phone game

  • Going for a walk

  • Going for a drive

  • Visiting the beach and watching the waves

  • Exercising

  • Napping or sleeping

You might add some of your own ideas here:

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If grounding and distraction aren’t working, it might be time to reach out for support and to talk to someone about our thoughts of suicide. When we’re feeling overwhelmed or like we’re in a deep dark hole of despair, it can be really hard to have hope or know what might help us. Having someone to talk to, provide support, and have hope for you can make all the difference in the world.

If we don’t have someone trusted available, a crisis line or suicide line can be a great option. It can feel scary to reach out for help. But crisis line responders are trained to help ground callers and provide emotional support, and can provide support in making decisions about if it’s time to seek emergency support (e.g. going into the Emergency Room). Most call centres answer calls 24 hours a day. Below are some lines that you might try calling.

  • 9-8-8 (National Suicide Line, call or text)

  • 1-800-784-2433 (1-800 Suicide, call only)

  • 310-6789 (310 Mental Health, no area code needed, call only)

  • 1-877-820-7444 (Fraser Health Crisis Line, call only)

  • 604-872-3311 (Vancouver Coastal Regional Distress Line, call only)

At any point during trying any of these options you feel like you’re not able to control your suicidal urges, it might be time to seek emergency support by going to the ER or calling 911.

Sample of a Short Term Safety Plan

Step 1: Grounding exercises (the 5 senses, followed by clench and release)

Step 2: Trying to distract from thoughts of suicide (watching my comfort TV show, baking cookies, scrolling on my phone or playing a game, and then trying to go to sleep)

Step 3: Call for support (try calling/texting my friend first, or if they’re not available or if I’m hesitant to call because of the time, calling a crisis line)

Step 4: Consider going to the emergency room if I feel like I feel overwhelmed by my suicidal thoughts and scared that I might hurt myself

Long Term Planning

Once we’re feeling more grounded, we might want to move to our long term plan. It’s important to first focus on coping in the moment, but we also want to ensure that we’re also taking steps towards healing and mental health wellness when we have capacity.

  • Am I practicing basic self-care (sleeping enough? Eating enough? Moving my body? Spending time connecting with others?

  • Are there things I need to be doing to prioritize taking care of my physical and mental health?

  • Do I need to find a therapist?

  • Do I need to book in with my therapist to get support?

  • Do I need to book in with our doctor to talk about medication options?

  • If I’m on medication for my mental health, am I taking it as prescribed? If it’s not the right fit, can I book in a doctor’s appointment to get help?

  • Do I need to find a support group to connect with others who will understand?

  • Are there any books I can try to read that might be helpful for me to learn about myself and what’s going on for me?

  • Are there any podcasts I can listen to that might be helpful?

  • Is there a resource that I need help finding that I can ask someone for?

While we might have quite a few ideas on our long term list, we might not feel up to doing everything, and that’s okay. Some days we might take a few steps forward, and some days we might just need to focus on coping in the moment. This plan might also change and grow as we learn more about ourselves.

Sample of a Long Term Plan

Step 1: Schedule my next session with my therapist

Step 2: Try to get out for a 10 minute walk in the morning

Step 3: Set a reminder to start winding down at 10pm to prioritize 8 hours of sleep each night

Creating Your Own Safety Plan

*This template is also located in the downloadable PDF.

My Short Term Plan

Step 1:

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Step 2:

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 3:

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Step 4:

__________________________________________________________________________________________

My Long Term Plan

Step 1:

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 2:

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 3:

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 4:

__________________________________________________________________________________________

References

Stanley, B., & Brown, G. K. (2008). Safety planning guide. Suicide Prevention Resource Centre. https://sprc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/SafetyPlanningGuide-Quick-Guide-for-Clinicians.pdf

Stanley, B., & Brown, G. K. (2012). Safety planning intervention: A brief intervention to mitigate suicide risk. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 19(2), 256–264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2011.01.001

*I do my best to ensure my posts are accurate and to cite reputable sources, however if you notice something that needs a correction please reach out to me at monica@beginagaintoday.ca.

Monica Crawford
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