Does anyone else self-harm?

Question

I currently self-harm by cutting my arms/legs with razor blades. I really want to stop but don't know how. I don't deal with stress well which is why I do it. I get a release when I'm bleeding and find taking care of the wounds help distract me from the emotional pain behind the behaviour. If you have been through it, can you please give me some suggestions on how to cut down or even stop. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Only SERIOUS answers Please!

Answer 1

There is a WONDERFUL website
www.crazyboards.org
and there is a forum there just for SI (self-injury).
those people can be a great resource
i don't SI, but the people there do and are supportive of recovery. you are only allowed there if you want to recover.

Answer 2

Im in the early stage of developing a very unsavory habit myself.
It just hasnt materialized yet. Maybe I will just crumple and die or snap at someone at work out of order without provocation, this is what I am scared of. Its just an inability to sleep at night right now. I almost envy that you have such an outlet and are capable of going about your day. I have tried many things, I focussed extra hard to working out, but I still couldnt sleep when I got home. Now I havent worked out for over two months with a fear of being too exhausted to perform at work. My diet has become irregular. I suffer occaisional what manic episodes and panic attacks which is probably due to the extreme irregularity of my rest and obsessing in my mind over a relationship that recently ended on less than desirable terms.
I am looking into therapy/religeon/meditation but getting nowhere now, so obsessed its hard to focus and take it slow to just do something productive and as much as I absolute horror at it, considering taking medication to assist to at least be able to stabiliize my sleeping habit again.
Please try therapy. It might take a long time to help, but somewhere along the way I have faith that maybe it can. I dont know, maybe its all a scam. But, what I do know is when I cry to somebody about my stress it seems to help some, helps me sort my thoughts by having to vocalize or write about it. I think having a professional listener just might have amazing potential in this regard.

Answer 3

I'm sorry to hear that.It sounds like you're quite a sensitive person.I'm not sure whether this will help,but sometimes it can feel like emotional pain is too much to bear.People react to this in many different ways,in your case by self-harming.What I have learnt is that if you can stick with it and bear the pain,then usually the next day you'll be OK.I think it'll be hard for you though,as you've got into a pattern of behaviour which is very difficult to control.

Answer 4

I am a recovering self harmer. I never told anyone for years 18 years to be exact. I met my partner 6 years ago, the first person I ever trusted enough to tell. He encouraged me to get professional help, with that and lots of love and support from him I managed to control it... So I guess the answer is to tell someone, do you have any close friends or family you can confide in. The online websites are good to, I tried these for a while too, you can chat to others with similar problems.
A counsellor taught me new coping methods and if I got the "urge" she taught me new less damaging ways to " release the pain" e.g holding ice cubes for as long possible.

Hope this is helpful

GOOD LUCK!!

Answer 5

I myself have been through this and the problem is that just cause you stop does not mean you are finished. Alot of time you just find a different way. I myself used to cut, sew myself, or do much worse to harm myself when the stress and all was over and there was nothing to bother me. If you would like to talk in more detail you can email me at [e-mail]

Answer 6

yes, i hve this in the past. i had a horrible childhood bing sexually abused & i think thats why i did it. if strees is the ONLY reason u do it, there r better ways of dealing i.e. medications therapy. but u hve 2 be honest with urself, dig deep, & find the REAL reason u do it. once u do, u can deal with that problem better by going 2 doctors 4 meds and also talk therapy. i had been n therapy on & off 4 2o yrs., now, i just take meds. and when i look at the scars i hve it reminds me just how strong i was 2 overcome cutting & started getting better. like i said, dig deep, search ur soul 2 c if stress is the only reason u do this. i wish u good luck & GODS BLESSING

Answer 7

Although it can be done, self treatment in this type of situation is extremely difficult. Find a therapist TODAY and talk about your problems. A trained professional can give you the tools you need to be able to deal with your emotional pain. If you're seeing a therapist now, perhaps you either need to be more honest with them or find a new one. Whatever you decide, get some help immediately and free yourself from this bond.

If you live in the OC or LA area let me know and I can give you some referrals. All the best to you.

Answer 8

I went through this at one time in my life, but I was finally able to get away from the stressful situation I was in, and over the years I developed other ways of managing stress. I can't really tell you how to stop, The best advice I could give is to find a new way of dealing with stress, easier said than done I know.

Answer 9

I'm so sorry to hear that you do this. I have never done anything to hurt myself purposely. This is a mental disorder and I'm sure there must be some sort of counselling to help solve it. Perhaps if you did some sort of voluntary work like helping people much worse off than yourself, it would make you feel good about yourself and make you realise that you are a lovely person. I hope and prey that you will stop self harming. Good luck

Answer 10

I did this too. I finally just sat down and really thought about it. I finally realized that even though it took away the pain for a little while, it always returned. And while I thought that it was a fair trade, I started to notice the ugly scars I was getting. Then I thought, even though I do this the pain always returns, and now whenever I look at these scars it reminds me of why I did it, and it makes me upset all over again. I finally wuit b/c I couldnt even look at myself. I decieded to give it up for 2 weeks and see how I felt. I felt much better and learned to deal with my emotional pain. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Answer 11

Hey i know wat ur going though im trying 2 give up atm and these help:
IF YOU FEEL:

angry, frustrated, restless
Try something physical and violent, something not directed at a living thing:
Slash an empty plastic soda bottle or a piece of heavy cardboard or an old shirt or sock.
Make a soft cloth doll to represent the things you are angry at. Cut and tear it instead of yourself.
Flatten aluminum cans for recycling, seeing how fast you can go.
Hit a punching bag.
Use a pillow to hit a wall, pillow-fight style.
Rip up an old newspaper or phone book.
On a sketch or photo of yourself, mark in red ink what you want to do. Cut and tear the picture.
Make Play-Doh or Sculpey or other clay models and cut or smash them.
Throw ice into the bathtub or against a brick wall hard enough to shatter it.
Break sticks.
Crank up the music and dance.
Clean your room (or your whole house).
Go for a walk/jog/run.
Stomp around in heavy shoes.
Play handball or tennis.

sad, soft, melancholy, depressed, unhappy
Do something slow and soothing, like taking a hot bath with bath oil or bubbles, curling up under a comforter with hot cocoa and a good book, babying yourself somehow. Do whatever makes you feel taken care of and comforted. Light sweet-smelling incense. Listen to soothing music. Smooth nice body lotion into the parts or yourself you want to hurt. Call a friend and just talk about things that you like. Make a tray of special treats and tuck yourself into bed with it and watch TV or read. Visit a friend.

craving sensation, feeling depersonalized, dissociating, feeling unreal
Do something that creates a sharp physical sensation:
Squeeze ice hard (this really hurts). (Note: putting ice on a spot you want to burn gives you a strong painful sensation and leaves a red mark afterward, kind of like burning would.)
Put a finger into a frozen food (like ice cream) for a minute.
Bite into a hot pepper or chew a piece of ginger root.
Rub liniment under your nose.
Slap a tabletop hard.
Snap your wrist with a rubber band.
Take a cold bath.
Stomp your feet on the ground.
Focus on how it feels to breathe. Notice the way your chest and stomach move with each breath.
[NOTE: Some people report that being online while dissociating increases their sense of unreality; be cautious about logging on in a dissociative state until you know how it affects you.]

wanting focus
Do a task (a computer game like tetris or minesweeper, writing a computer program, needlework, etc) that is exacting and requires focus and concentration.
Eat a raisin mindfully. Pick it up, noticing how it feels in your hand. Look at it carefully; see the asymmetries and think about the changes the grape went through. Roll the raisin in your fingers and notice the texture; try to describe it. Bring the raisin up to your mouth, paying attention to how it feels to move your hand that way. Smell the raisin; what does it remind you of? How does a raisin smell? Notice that you're beginning to salivate, and see how that feels. Open your mouth and put the raisin in, taking time to think about how the raisin feels to your tongue. Chew slowly, noticing how the texture and even the taste of the raisin change as you chew it. Are there little seeds or stems? How is the inside different from the outside? Finally, swallow.
Choose an object in the room. Examine it carefully and then write as detailed a description of it as you can. Include everything: size, weight, texture, shape, color, possible uses, feel, etc.
Choose a random object, like a paper clip, and try to list 30 different uses for it.
Pick a subject and research it on the web.
Try some of the games and distractions at digibeet's page; she's assembled a lot of distractions.

wanting to see blood
Draw on yourself with a red felt-tip pen.
Take a small bottle of liquid red food coloring and warm it slightly by dropping it into a cup of hot water for a few minutes. Uncap the bottle and press its tip against the place you want to cut. Draw the bottle in a cutting motion while squeezing it slightly to let the food color trickle out.
Draw on the areas you want to cut using ice that you've made by dropping six or seven drops of red food color into each of the ice-cube tray wells.
Paint yourself with red tempera paint.

wanting to see scars or pick scabs
Get a henna tattoo kit. You put the henna on as a paste and leave it overnight; the next day you can pick it off as you would a scab and it leaves an orange-red mark behind.

Another thing that helps sometimes is the fifteen-minute game. Tell yourself that if you still want to harm yourself in 15 minutes, you can. When the time is up, see if you can go another 15.

Good luck and dont worry if u dont stop the first time u will do it in the end.