When somebody is extremely distressed, it can be much harder to:
- think clearly;
- remember telephone numbers;
- decide who to call;
- work out where to go;
- remember what usually helps;
- solve problems;
- ask somebody for help.
A safety plan allows you to make some of those decisions before you are trying to make them in the middle of a crisis.
Think of it in the same way as knowing where the emergency exit is before there is a fire.
Having a safety plan does not mean that you expect a crisis to happen.
It means that if one does, you have already given yourself a starting point.