A difficult day: my next step
For adults preparing a support plan ahead of time. Keep it easy to find. You can ask for help without completing this sheet.
Immediate danger or possible overdose: call 911. If someone may have overdosed on opioids, give naloxone if available and stay until help arrives. Do not wait to complete this plan. [1]
For emotional distress or a mental-health or substance-use crisis in the U.S., call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. [2]
Original message: “Today is difficult. Can you talk now or help me reach my care team? If not, I will try my backup.”
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For a difficult moment without immediate danger, choose a specific request and a backup. Check when contacts are available. [3]
A sign in my own words and one action or contact. I do not have to cope alone.
Person or service, number, availability and the help I want.
Backup person or service, number and availability.
Where I keep the plan and whom to ask if I need advice.
Keep any clinician-developed safety plan with this sheet and follow it. This original support aid is not a risk assessment, treatment plan or replacement for crisis care. Afterward, use the full guide to note what helped or needs changing.
Need more room or context? Use A Difficult Day: My Next-Step Plan.