Make a safety plan for hard moments (printable)

Do Not Lose Hope is not a crisis line, a clinic or a counselor. This page is not medical advice. It helps you write down your own steps and points you to people trained to help.

If you are reading this because you feel like you cannot go on, we are glad you are here. You do not have to carry this alone. A plan gives you something to hold on to in the hardest minutes.

What is a safety plan?

A safety plan is your own short list of what to do when thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself come: your warning signs, what helps, who to call, and how to make your space safer. You write it on a calmer day, because in a crisis it is hard to think of options. With the plan in your hand, you only have to follow it, one step at a time. The 988 Lifeline describes the same kind of plan on its Help Yourself page.

A safety plan is not a promise or a contract. It does not replace care from a doctor or counselor. It is a tool you can use any time, and change any time.

When should I make it?

Today, if you can. The best time is when you feel steady enough to think. If thoughts of suicide are strong right now, do not start with the worksheet. Call or text 988 first. A 988 counselor can talk with you and help you think about staying safe.

You can fill it out:

• On your own, with a pen and the printable plan
• With someone you trust, like a friend, family member or pastor
• With a counselor or doctor, if you have one. Ask: "Can we make a safety plan together?"

How do I fill it out?

Go step by step. Use your own words. Short answers are fine. If a step feels hard, leave it and come back later.

Step 1: My warning signs

What tells you a hard moment is starting? Think about the thoughts, feelings, places, times and actions that come before things get bad. For example:

• "I stop answering my phone."
• "I lie awake after midnight going over everything."
• "I start thinking everyone would be better off without me."
• "After I talk to my lawyer and the news is bad."

When you notice a warning sign, that is your cue to start the plan.

Step 2: Things I can do on my own

These are things that help you feel even a little calmer, without needing anyone else. Pick ones you can really do, at night or in a small space. Ideas:

• Take a shower, or wash your face with cold water
• Walk around the block, or step outside and breathe slowly
• Listen to one song you love, or to worship music
• Pray, read a verse, or sit in silence
• Write down what you feel, then tear it up
• Hold something that matters to you, like a photo of your family

Step 3: People and places that take my mind off things

Sometimes being near others helps, even if you do not talk about how you feel. List people you can text or sit with, and places like a park, a library, a church, a coffee shop or a family member's kitchen.

Step 4: People I can ask for help

These are people you can tell, "I am having a hard time and I need you." Write down at least two, with their numbers. Choose people who will listen and not judge. If you think of only one, that is a start.

Step 5: Professionals and crisis lines

Write the numbers you would call. Save them in your phone too.

• 988: call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Spanish, dial 988 and then press 2, or text AYUDA to 988.
• Your county crisis line (see Who can help)
• Your counselor, doctor or clinic, if you have one
• The nearest emergency room

The 988 Lifeline says to put 988 into your phone.

Step 6: Making my space safer

Write down what you will do to keep things you could use to hurt yourself away from you during a hard time. The 988 Lifeline suggests working with a counselor on a plan to limit your access to these things. The next section explains how.

Reasons to keep going

Many plans end with a few lines about what matters most to you: people you love, your faith, a pet, a goal, something you want to see. The widely used Stanley and Brown plan, which the U.S. Defense Health Agency publishes as a free worksheet, ends with "my reasons for living." You can write yours, or tape a photo there.

How do I make my home safer?

Do not skip this step. The National Institute of Mental Health says reducing access to highly lethal items or places can help prevent suicide. The CDC calls it putting space and time between a person and the means to hurt themselves.

You can do this for yourself, or ask someone you trust to do it with you or for you.

Medicines

• Lock them up. The CDC suggests keeping prescriptions in a lock box. Putting medicines out of sight or out of reach is not the same as locking them.
• Let someone else hold them. Ask a trusted person to keep your medicines and give you only what you need.
• Get rid of old or unused medicines. The FDA says the best way is a take back option: a drop off location at a pharmacy or police station, or a prepaid mail back envelope. Find a spot near you with the DEA collector search.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist if any of your medicines are especially dangerous in large amounts, and how to keep them safe.

Firearms

If there is a gun in your home, start here.

• Store it outside the home for a while. In California, a gun owner may lend a gun for safekeeping to another adult, 18 or older, to keep it from being used in a suicide. The person holding it must keep it unloaded and securely stored at their home, must not use it, and must give it back only when it is safe. They must not be someone who is barred from having guns. This is in California Penal Code 27882. Ask a lawyer or your local police if you are not sure how it applies to you.
• Lock it. If it stays in the home, keep it in a gun safe or lock box, with the key or code held by someone else. The CDC says out of sight is not secure storage.
• If someone is at risk and will not give up a gun, a family member, household member and certain others can ask a California court for a gun violence restraining order. It can be used when a person is a danger to themselves. There is no filing fee. A temporary order lasts until a hearing, which must be within 21 days. A longer order can last one to five years. See the court's information sheet, form GV 100 INFO. If there is danger right now, call 911.

Other things

The American Academy of Pediatrics also lists alcohol, other weapons and harsh household chemicals among things to remove or lock up when someone is at risk. You do not have to explain why. You can just ask a friend, "Can you keep this at your place for now?"

Where should I keep my plan?

Keep it where you can find it fast. The 988 Lifeline says to keep it easily accessible.

• Take a photo of it and save it as a favorite on your phone.
• Keep the paper copy by your bed, in your wallet or in your Bible.
• Give a copy to one person on your list, so they know how to help.
• Look at it again after a hard time, and change what did not help.

What if I am helping someone else make a plan?

Thank you for being there. Sit with them, not across from them. Let them choose the words. Your job is to ask and listen, not to fill it in for them.

• Ask, "When things get really bad, what do you notice first?"
• Ask, "What has helped before, even a little?"
• Offer to be on their list, and mean it.
• Offer to hold medicines or other things for them. If there is a gun, help move it out of the home.
• Help them save 988 in their phone.
• Check in later. NIMH says staying in touch after a crisis can help keep someone safe.

If they tell you they are thinking of suicide right now, or have a plan, do not leave them alone. Call or text 988 together. If they are in danger right now, call 911.

For how to start the conversation, see How to talk with someone you love about suicide.

What if my plan does not work?

Go to the next step. The plan is a ladder. If step 2 does not help, move to step 3, then 4, then 5. You do not have to finish every step before you call 988. You can call 988 at any point.

If you are about to act on thoughts of suicide, or you have already hurt yourself, call 911.

Common questions

Will writing about suicide make me more likely to do it? Thinking ahead about your warning signs and your help is a way to stay safe, not a step toward harm. NIMH says studies show that asking people if they are suicidal does not increase suicidal thoughts or behavior. If writing brings up strong feelings, stop and reach out to someone on your list or to 988.

Will 988 send the police? Rarely. 988 says less than 2 percent of its calls involve emergency services, and more than half of those happen with the caller's OK. Counselors contact 911 only when someone is in danger of being hurt right now and a less invasive plan cannot be agreed on. Learn more in Calling or texting 988.

I do not speak English well. Can I still get help? Yes. 988 offers call, text and chat in Spanish. Santa Clara County says its call center offers translation in all languages spoken in the county.

I am not in crisis. I just need to talk. Try the California Peer Run Warm Line, for anyone living in California: call or text 855-600-9276. It lists hours of 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday. Hours may change. For counseling, see Mental health care without fear.

Is there a plan I can print?

Who can help

These are free crisis lines and public services. Contact them to confirm hours, languages and openings. Being listed here is not a referral or a promise of service.

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. Free and confidential, 24/7/365. Spanish: dial 988 and then press 2, or text AYUDA to 988. 988lifeline.org
• For San Mateo County residents: County Crisis Line (StarVista) and Mobile Crisis Response Team: (650) 579-0350, 24/7, for a mental health crisis, a substance use problem or thoughts of suicide. You can call for yourself or for someone else. The mobile team can come to you in person. San Mateo County Health
• For Santa Clara County residents: Behavioral Health Services: call 988 from a 408, 650 or 669 number, or (800) 704-0900 and press 1 for the call center. Talk to someone now
• California Peer Run Warm Line: for anyone in California who wants to talk. Call or text 855-600-9276. mentalhealthsf.org
• Other California counties: each county runs a behavioral health line. Find yours on the DHCS county list.
• Outside California: call or text 988. It routes you to one of more than 200 local crisis centers.

For teens, see Where a teen can talk to someone right now. For county counseling and what it costs, see Mental health care without fear. For other local services, see 211: free help finding local services. In California, 211 does not cover every county.

You matter more than this moment. Make the plan, keep it close, and let people walk with you.