Safety Planning
Play it safe
A safety plan is an action plan of what to do when experiencing increased risks (such as suicidality), deterioration in mental state and crisis. This is an important resource both for yourself and especially for those who love you. It provides steps and a guide for what to do when shit hits the fan with your mental health.
Use the Beyond Now safety plan from Beyond Blue to create your safety plan on the app or website. I would recommend you print it out and give copies to your close loved ones/those you live with and stick a copy on the fridge or in a highly visible area. If you are worried about visitors seeing it, maybe on the inside of a cupboard or in a drawer in the kitchen or somewhere similar. The point is that it should be easily accessible when needed by yourself or your loved ones.
I found a safety plan particularly useful to alleviate the stress and anxiety experienced by my wife when I left hospital after my first admission. It was reassuring for her to have a plan of how she could help me and who to seek assistance from.
