Safety Plans: How to use safety plans situationally for emotional regulation

Safety plans are generally created collaboratively in a clinical setting when suicidal ideation is present. Safety plans are a great tool to help the individual remember coping skills, supportive networks, and self-care strategies that can combat feelings of distress, and offer alternative solutions for suicidal ideation, or self-mutilation activities.

Safety plans can also be used without the presence of suicidal ideation or self-harming temptations. Safety plans can be a preventive coping strategy for all challenges, including workplace overwhelm, time management, self-care regimens, entering difficult conversations, and daily anxiety. Put simply, safety plans can be a template to help anyone in many situations stay regulated and safe.

Types of safety plans

There are two types of safety plans. The first is a safety plan that lists steps to avoid or manage a future event that could pose risk for harm. For example, a plan of what you could do the next time you feel a desire to self-harm. This safety plan allows you to follow a guide created by yourself when you’re in a rational and stable state. Allowing your more unstable self to benefit from your wisdom and knowledge during a time when it is harder to access that information.

The second type of safety plan is for use in the moment when you’re at risk of harm. This type of safety plan is a worksheet to help you keep busy and distract yourself, to pass the risk. For example, if you are struggling with thoughts of self-harm, this safety plan would give you something to do to help distract you until the thoughts and temptations subside.

Content of a safety plan

A safety plan typically consists of three parts, Warning Signs, Coping Skills, and Social Support. The first section of a safety plan titled “Warning Signs”, addresses how to know when to use the safety plan. When creating this section of the safety plan, think about what the warning signs are when you are beginning to struggle with the problem. These warning signs can include thoughts, feelings and behaviors.

The second section of the safety plan called “Coping Skills”, include alternative activities or techniques used for coping with the problem at hand. When creating this section of the safety plan, think to yourself, what can you do to take your mind off the problem? What have you done in the past to help cope with the problem? What obstacles might there be to using these coping skills? Typically, the coping skills should be things you can achieve and have access to on your own, by yourself. The next section will introduce social support and reaching out to others for support.

The third, and last section of the safety plan is called “Social Support”. In this section, list all the people in your life who you know will be supportive of you. When completing this section, think to yourself, who can I trust with information relating to this challenge? Who do I feel will support my health and wellbeing through this challenging time? Who do I know that would help me feel heard and find resolution to this challenge? People and support systems listed in this section may include trusted family members, friends, and professionals (therapist, psychiatrist, etc). Including the crisis or hotline numbers, such as 911, 988, and local emergency numbers, may also be helpful.

Safety Plans as a Tool

Safety plans can be used in preparation for any environment that is expected to produce stress, anxiety, or feelings of overwhelm. Individuals can create safety plans for the workplace, an encounter with a challenging relationship, a trigger, parenting, and any situation which may cause a dysregulated state. Please use the example below to create a safety plan for an situational setting.

One way to use a safety plan in a situational setting is by planning for overwhelm in a work environment. Professionals in the workplace can create a safety plan to prevent burnout, overstimulation, and prevent fatigue. Implementing a safety plan consists of 6 steps. The first step of creating a safety plan is warning signs. Ask yourself “How will I know when the safety plan should be used?” or “What do I typically experience before the onset of fatigue or burnout?”. These warning signs can be either situational or sensational warnings. Situational warnings are events, scenarios, or situations that drain your energy or leave you feeling uncomfortable. Sensational warnings are based on physical or emotional senses you feel. This may manifest as sore muscles, tightening of the jaw or shoulders, headaches, or emotionally withdrawn behavior. Notice your body’s warning signs telling you to take action. Create a list of warning signs, including thoughts, images, thinking processes, mood, and/or behaviors.

Step two includes assembly of your self-care support squad. Find people who you can trust to help support you, whether its tangible support or emotional support. People (or animals) in your support squad may be someone who helps cheer you up with a laugh, or someone who can cover you at work. Pay attention to the members of your support squad that boost your energy. It is ideal to fill your support squad with people who will help you retain energy, both physical and emotionally.

Step three includes creating boundaries and limits for spending energy. Sometimes boundaries feel restricting and useless, yet setting boundaries to prevent crashing (emotionally and energetically) is necessary for a safety plan. In order to respect your body’s limits, first we need to figure out what the limits are. When thinking about setting energy boundaries, start identifying limits in the following categories, strategic work boundaries, physical work boundaries, social acidity boundaries, creative work boundaries, and emotionally involved activity boundaries.

Step four is to plan heathier habits. Recognizing boundaries, as well as recognizing when you’re at them is a huge accomplishment. Respecting the boundaries you set for yourself is the difficult part. This means knowing and respecting when you’re done for the day. Being cognizant of your energy levels and knowing when to close the laptop for the day. This is also knowing when your body has had enough cardio and stopping to cool down, even if there is time left on the clock for your workout. A great way to respect your boundaries is to implement go-to replacements for those activities.

In order to find go-to replacement activities, use the prompts below:

- When I am overwhelmed, I tend to do ABC. Instead, I can do XYZ.

- When I am anxious, I tend to ABC. Instead, I can XYZ.

The final step is to stick with the safety plan. Whether you are preventing burnout, fatigue, self-harming behaviors, or suicidal ideation, sticking to the safety plan takes practice. Celebrate the progress you have made by creating this plan. While you practice your safety plan over time, consider if it feels natural and helpful. If there are more beneficial changes to be made, edit and update your safety plan as needed.