how can i stop cutting myself for good?

Question

i am a 25 year old woman .. I started cutting myself when i was about 14 and i stopped about a year ago.. i just recently started doing it again .. i thought i was over it.. but those old feelings just came back.. what should i do?

Answer 1

Cutting is your coping mechanism. You need to tell your doctor and probably see a therapist to see what the root issues are and work through them.

Answer 2

This is my place. lol. i've been a cutter since i was about 12 years old. i love talking to people about it because i feel i can offer a lot of help here. so here's my help:

cutting is a coping mechanism. it's a hrd thing to quit all together. what it comes down to is motivation. we all cut when we get urges. you've probably heard the stories about snapping a rubber band on ur arm, or puting ice on your wrist, but that wont cure your problem. that's is still responding to the urges. the only way to cure it is to battle those urges head on. it's the same thing as fighting a phobia. if you are afraid of heights, the only way to get over that fear is to go to the top of the empire state building and look down. you need to just get fed up with it and focus on beating it. if you dont do that, the urges will keep coming back, and you will eventually break. the only sure-fire way to get rid of cutting is to get rid of the urges.

as for how, that's personal. whatever helps you best face an opponent, wether it's writing, or painting, or excersizing. it's hard for me to say because I thought i stopped a couple months ago, but i did it again for the first time in months just the other day, and at the time, it felt SOOOO good, but i regretted it like crazy later.

it's a soul-searching thing. find your best source of power and strength. i usually go awry when something bad happens, and that's not under my control. but you can control how you battle those instances. so be4 even battling an urge, battle a situation. make a bad situation have a silver lining somewhere, and then you wont get urges (hopefully). The best form of protection is prevention.

if you have ANY questions AT ALL, please feel free to email me anytime. i really like helping people with this problem, that is what i honestly look on here for is cutting questions. it makes me feel like even though i can't do it right for me, maybe i can help someone else do it right.

[e-mail]

Answer 3

I'm in very similar shoes. I am 27, and have been cutting for 13 years. I don't do it near as much anymore, but my biggest help is a support network.....mostly my boyfriend. However, i know it's hard to find someone to trust this with.
Someone once stated that there is no such thing as a cured cutter, just one that isn't doing it right now.
Don't put pressure on yourself to stop, it makes it worse. I think the best way to avoid cutting, is when you feel the urge, go find something else to do. If you have something you love to do, especially if it's physical, do that when you get the urge. The other thing is, go out, go to the store, go to the movies.
The more pressure you put on yourself to stop, the harder it is, and the more guilt you feel.
Try the website, www. recoveryourlife.com. There is a great support network there for self-harmers. You can also email me if you need to. My email address is at yahoo.com......check my profile for the initial name.

Answer 4

If you're unsure why you do it than you are probably a sadist, someone who seeks out pain for pleasure. If not you could be using this as a way to give yourself sympathy for your pain. You are probably trying to console your suffering by cutting yourself and than making yourself feel sorry for well yourself. If you know the root of the reason you are doing it you should try to solve it immediately, never hold things inside, no matter how bad, how traumatizing, or how horrible things are.

Answer 5

Try and seek God! You have to realize you have one life here on earth, one body, life is to short to waste it hurting yourself! And the ones who love and care about you, you need to seek a counseler as well he/she may be able to help through those hard times. I really wish you the best and please stop hurting yourself.

Answer 6

Find a therapist who is trained in EMDR, it is a very effective technique to release all kinds of bad feeling, garbage, stress, anger type emotion. It releases the bad emotion and frees you up to feel "good" and light and free.

Answer 7

I suggest using a rubber knife.If you really want to stop get professional help.

Answer 8

seek professional help

Answer 9

learn to love yourself no matter what.. you're worth it

Answer 10

i wish i knew