Understanding
Self harm is a way of expressing and dealing with stress or different emotional pains.
Sometimes when a person is using self harm to deal with these things its the only way they know how to cope with sadness, guilt, rage, etc.
The problem is the relief felt from self harm does not last long, kind of like slapping on a band aid when you really need stitches. It may stop the bleeding for a bit but it doesn't cure the underlying injuries and it may cause new ones.
Most people who self harm do it and keep it a secret. This is because people may feel ashamed or feel like no one will understand the reason why they do it. But secrecy can cause strain and stress in a relationship, among family and friends, and make the way you feel about yourself worse.
Signs and Symptoms YOU are self harming
-cutting or severely scratching your skin
-burning or scalding yourself
-hitting yourself or banging your head
-punching things or throwing your body against walls and hard objects
-sticking objects into your skin
-intentionally preventing wounds from healing
-swallowing poisonous substances or inappropriate objects
Signs and Symptoms Someone you know is self harming
-Unexplained wounds or scars from cuts, bruises, or burns, usually on the wrists, arms, thighs, or chest.
-Blood stains on clothing, towels, or bedding; blood-soaked tissues.
-Sharp objects or cutting instruments, such as razors, knives, needles, glass shards, or bottle caps, in the person’s belongings.
-Frequent “accidents.” Someone who self-harms may claim to be clumsy or have many mishaps, in order to explain away injuries.
-Covering up. A person who self-injures may insist on wearing long sleeves or long pants, even in hot weather.
-Needing to be alone for long periods of time, especially in the bedroom or bathroom.
-Isolation and irritability.
Self Harm Helping?
It’s important to acknowledge that self-harm helps you—otherwise you wouldn’t do it. Some of the ways cutting and self-harming can help include:
-Expressing feelings you can’t put into words
-Releasing the pain and tension you feel inside
-Helping you feel in control
-Distracting you from overwhelming emotions or difficult life circumstances
-Relieving guilt and punishing yourself
-Making you feel alive, or simply feel something, instead of feeling numb
Once you better understand why you self-harm, you can learn ways to stop self-harming, and find resources that can support you through this struggle.
Steps to HELP and STOPPING
Step One: Find Someone To Talk To
Step Two: Figure Out WHY You Cut
Step Three: Find New Coping Techniques
Step Four: Find A Therapist
Why Stop?
-Although self-harm and cutting can give you temporary relief, it comes at a cost. In the long term, it causes far more problems than it solves.
-The relief is short lived, and is quickly followed by other feelings like shame and guilt. Meanwhile, it keeps you from learning more effective strategies for feeling better.
-Keeping the secret from friends and family members is difficult and lonely.
-You can hurt yourself badly, even if you don’t mean to. It’s easy to misjudge the depth of a cut or end up with an infected wound.
-If you don’t learn other ways to deal with emotional pain, it puts you at risk for bigger problems down the line, including major depression, drug and alcohol addiction, and suicide.
-Self-harm can become addictive. It may start off as an impulse or something you do to feel more in control, but soon it feels like the cutting or self-harming is controlling you. It often turns into a compulsive behavior that seems impossible to stop
Other Coping Methods To Try
-Paint, draw, or scribble on a big piece of paper with red ink or paint
-Express your feelings in a journal
-Write a poem or song to say what you feel
-Write down any negative feelings and then rip the paper up
-Listen to music that expresses what you’re feeling
-Take a bath or hot shower
-Pet or cuddle with a dog or cat
-Wrap yourself in a warm blanket
-Massage your neck, hands, and feet
-Listen to calming music
-Call a friend (you don’t have to talk about self-harm)
-Take a cold shower
-Hold an ice cube in the crook of your arm or leg
-Chew something with a very strong taste, like chili peppers, peppermint, or a grapefruit peel.
-Go online to a self-help website, chat room, or message board
-Exercise vigorously—run, dance, jump rope, or hit a punching bag
-Punch a cushion or mattress or scream into your pillow
-Squeeze a stress ball or squish Play-Doh or clay
-Rip something up (sheets of paper, a magazine)
-Make some noise (play an instrument, bang on pots and pans)
Self harm is a way of expressing and dealing with stress or different emotional pains.
Sometimes when a person is using self harm to deal with these things its the only way they know how to cope with sadness, guilt, rage, etc.
The problem is the relief felt from self harm does not last long, kind of like slapping on a band aid when you really need stitches. It may stop the bleeding for a bit but it doesn't cure the underlying injuries and it may cause new ones.
Most people who self harm do it and keep it a secret. This is because people may feel ashamed or feel like no one will understand the reason why they do it. But secrecy can cause strain and stress in a relationship, among family and friends, and make the way you feel about yourself worse.
Signs and Symptoms YOU are self harming
-cutting or severely scratching your skin
-burning or scalding yourself
-hitting yourself or banging your head
-punching things or throwing your body against walls and hard objects
-sticking objects into your skin
-intentionally preventing wounds from healing
-swallowing poisonous substances or inappropriate objects
Signs and Symptoms Someone you know is self harming
-Unexplained wounds or scars from cuts, bruises, or burns, usually on the wrists, arms, thighs, or chest.
-Blood stains on clothing, towels, or bedding; blood-soaked tissues.
-Sharp objects or cutting instruments, such as razors, knives, needles, glass shards, or bottle caps, in the person’s belongings.
-Frequent “accidents.” Someone who self-harms may claim to be clumsy or have many mishaps, in order to explain away injuries.
-Covering up. A person who self-injures may insist on wearing long sleeves or long pants, even in hot weather.
-Needing to be alone for long periods of time, especially in the bedroom or bathroom.
-Isolation and irritability.
Self Harm Helping?
It’s important to acknowledge that self-harm helps you—otherwise you wouldn’t do it. Some of the ways cutting and self-harming can help include:
-Expressing feelings you can’t put into words
-Releasing the pain and tension you feel inside
-Helping you feel in control
-Distracting you from overwhelming emotions or difficult life circumstances
-Relieving guilt and punishing yourself
-Making you feel alive, or simply feel something, instead of feeling numb
Once you better understand why you self-harm, you can learn ways to stop self-harming, and find resources that can support you through this struggle.
Steps to HELP and STOPPING
Step One: Find Someone To Talk To
Step Two: Figure Out WHY You Cut
Step Three: Find New Coping Techniques
Step Four: Find A Therapist
Why Stop?
-Although self-harm and cutting can give you temporary relief, it comes at a cost. In the long term, it causes far more problems than it solves.
-The relief is short lived, and is quickly followed by other feelings like shame and guilt. Meanwhile, it keeps you from learning more effective strategies for feeling better.
-Keeping the secret from friends and family members is difficult and lonely.
-You can hurt yourself badly, even if you don’t mean to. It’s easy to misjudge the depth of a cut or end up with an infected wound.
-If you don’t learn other ways to deal with emotional pain, it puts you at risk for bigger problems down the line, including major depression, drug and alcohol addiction, and suicide.
-Self-harm can become addictive. It may start off as an impulse or something you do to feel more in control, but soon it feels like the cutting or self-harming is controlling you. It often turns into a compulsive behavior that seems impossible to stop
Other Coping Methods To Try
-Paint, draw, or scribble on a big piece of paper with red ink or paint
-Express your feelings in a journal
-Write a poem or song to say what you feel
-Write down any negative feelings and then rip the paper up
-Listen to music that expresses what you’re feeling
-Take a bath or hot shower
-Pet or cuddle with a dog or cat
-Wrap yourself in a warm blanket
-Massage your neck, hands, and feet
-Listen to calming music
-Call a friend (you don’t have to talk about self-harm)
-Take a cold shower
-Hold an ice cube in the crook of your arm or leg
-Chew something with a very strong taste, like chili peppers, peppermint, or a grapefruit peel.
-Go online to a self-help website, chat room, or message board
-Exercise vigorously—run, dance, jump rope, or hit a punching bag
-Punch a cushion or mattress or scream into your pillow
-Squeeze a stress ball or squish Play-Doh or clay
-Rip something up (sheets of paper, a magazine)
-Make some noise (play an instrument, bang on pots and pans)