I'm thinking about hurting myself what do I do?

Question

I have cut numerous time to many to count

Answer 1

If you're actively thinking about it and want help, you need to go to the ER. Otherwise, you need to seek professional help from a therapist.

Answer 2

In the short term: put a rubber band around your wrist (for a few minutes, maximum), stretch and release. Longer term, it is important to address the cause of the emotions which drive this activity, by seeing a doctor and asking to be referred for therapy. Set yourself the challenge of going for 1 hour without self harm, and next time, a little longer, and this will help put you in touch with those emotions. Practice for 20 mins. daily, and when needed, the method at http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com Meditation room; try it out; mantra meditation; repeat the word: "easy", or gaze at a burning candle in a quiet, darkened room.Others prefer Tai Chi & yoga. Work your way slowly up to 30 - 60 mins of daily exercise, eat healthily, and keep occupied. Take a vitamin B complex, and 4 fish oil supplements daily. Phone 1800 dont cut & see http://www.selfinjury.com/ & http://www.palace.net/~llama/psych/ (/psych/injury.html) Get rid of what you use for cutting, as it can often become a comforting ritual. Journal your thoughts & feelings. Get a canvas, and some paint: express what you feel (even a sketchbook & watercolors will do).

Answer 3

I have only recently been through this. I was as far down as I could possibly go and was going to hurt myself. I ended up going to the emergency room at the hospital and I haven't looked back since. It was the best thing I have ever done. I voluntarily spent 3 weeks in hospital and was put on medication. It's a long road back to the top, but I now see a psychologist and a psychiatrist once a week and have remained on medication. I advise you do the same, or go see your doctor. There is help out there for you and it's worth it. I've been given strategies to help me out, and I never thought that was possible. I also have a goal now that I never had before. Please get professional help. You won't regret it.

Answer 4

Well you can see a counselor, Hotlines #1800-992-5757 or 24 hour crisis hotline [phone]. You can also try 1800-DONTCUT. Its hard i know ex-cutter of 7 years. the frist time i cut myself i was 12 im 19 now. im trying its so hard. No lieing here i do think about it,but im feeling better im feeling happyer too. You can too... F*ck the knife or whatever you use pick life. I felt so lost. i didnt know what to do. hey also try (Help.com)...life will kick you when your down,but you pick yourself up. Keep going. you can do this...BEST OF LUCK!!!!! xo....

Answer 5

911

Answer 6

whatever your problem is, you can't run away from it anymore. i know how it feels when you try to do something but cant accept the fact that you can't get the things you want. you can't find ways escaping your problems by hurting yourself cuz that isnt going to help. be a man and do something about it. no offense, but that is a pathetic way to live!

Answer 7

just relax and talk to some GOOD friends and know that whatever you r going through has to get better eventually and do something to get your mind off it like read a book if you do not want to talk to anyone about it.

Answer 8

Don't because you're an awesome friend and I don't want to see you get hurt. It's just not worth it.

Answer 9

Hello,

I want you to know that even though I don't know you, I felt compelled to answer you in some way. I know that you must feel some sort deep pain and that you are feeling that cutting yourself is the only way to relieve it? Am I correct?

You are not crazy. I know that things can and will get better. I do not know your problems, but I do know there are so many other ways to deal with problems that do not include hurting yourself. Why do you hurt yourself or feel like hurting yourself?
Is it anger? Are you depressed? Do you feel like no one cares about you? Do you feel like they are a bad person? Do you wonder where God is?

It will be a long road to recovery, but you can do it. I know you can. Know that even though I do not know you, I do care about you. God loves you no matter what you have done or will do. He is always there to listen when no one else is. Feel free to talk to God anytime. I will pray for you too. Jesus already took all our pain, sorrow, sins, and punishments to the cross for us. He has set us free. Never lose hope or your faith. He loves you. I pray for you to have strength everyday to help you through this crisis.
http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/problems/friend_cuts.html
Some people find that the urge to self-injure passes if they squeeze an ice cube in their hand really hard, draw with a red marker on the body part they feel like cutting, take a walk with a friend (you!), rip up old newspapers, stroke their cat or dog, play loud music and dance, or find another distraction or outlet for their feelings. These strategies don't take the place of getting professional counseling, but they can help in the short run.
If you've been cutting and you want to stop, here are some approaches that might help you.

For people who cut, doing something different may be a big change. Making this change can take time because you are learning new ways of dealing with the things that led you to cut. The tips you'll see below can get you started. But a therapist or counselor can do more to help you heal old hurt and use your strengths to cope with life's struggles.

Start by being aware of which situations are likely to trigger your urge to cut. Make a commitment that this time you will not follow the urge, but will do something else instead.

Then make a plan for what you will do instead of cutting when you feel this urge.

Below are some tips you can try when you feel the urge to cut. We've put them into several categories because different people cut for different reasons. So certain techniques will work better for some people than others.

Look through all the tips and try the ones that you think might work for you. You may need to experiment because not all of these ideas will work for everyone. For example, some readers have told us that snapping a rubber band works for them as a substitute for cutting but others say that the rubber band triggers an urge to snap it too hard and they end up hurting themselves.

If one tip isn't right for you, that's OK. Use your creativity to find a better idea. Or talk with your therapist to get other ideas on what could work for you. The idea is to find a substitute for cutting — something that satisfies a need you might feel without being as harmful as cutting.

You may also find that one of these ideas works for you sometimes but not always. That's OK too. What a person needs can vary from time to time and from situation to situation.

Following the techniques listed below will help you think about why you might cut. The more you learn about what's underneath your cutting behavior, the better you will be able to understand and develop healthy ways to heal that pain.

Things That Might Distract You
Like all urges, the urge to cut will pass if you wait it out. Distracting yourself with something else helps time go by and gets your mind off the urge to cut. The more you wait out the urge without giving in, the more your urges will decrease over time.

Here are some things you can try while waiting for a cutting urge to pass:

call a friend and talk about something completely different
take a shower (make sure you don't have razors in the shower)
go for a walk or run, take a bike ride, dance like crazy, or get some other form of exercise
play with a pet
watch TV (change the channel if the show gets upsetting or features cutting)
drink a glass of water
Things That Might Soothe and Calm You
Sometimes people cut because they're agitated or angry — even though they may not recognize that feeling. If that's true for you, it can help to do something calming when you feel the need to cut.

Even if you're not sure why you're cutting, it's worth giving these ideas a try:

play with a pet
take a shower (make sure you don't have razors in the shower)
take a bath (make sure you don't have razors near the tub)
listen to soothing music that will shift your mood
try a breathing exercise
try some relaxing yoga exercises
Things That Might Help You Express the Pain and Deep Emotion
Some people cut because the emotions that they feel seem way too powerful and painful to handle. Often, it may be hard for them to recognize these emotions for what they are — like anger, sadness, or other feelings. Here are some alternatives to cutting that you can try:

draw or scribble designs on paper using a red pen or paint on white paper — if it helps, make the paint drip
write out your hurt, anger, or pain using a pen and paper
draw the pain
compose songs or poetry to express what you're feeling
listen to music that talks about how you feel
Things That Might Help Release Physical Tension and Distress
Sometimes, doing things that express anger or release tension can help a person gradually move away from cutting. Try these ideas:

go for a walk or run, ride a bike, dance like crazy, or get some other form of exercise
rip up some paper
write out your hurt, anger, or pain using a pen and paper
scribble on paper using a red pen
squeeze, knead, or smoosh a stress ball, handful of clay, or Play-Doh
Things That Might Help You Feel Supported and Connected
If you cut because you feel alone, misunderstood, unloved, or disconnected, these ideas may help:

call a friend
play with a pet
make a cup of tea, some warm milk, or cocoa
try some yoga exercises that help you feel grounded, such as triangle pose
try a breathing exercise like the one in the button above
curl up on your bed in a soft, cozy blanket
Things That Are Substitutes for the Cutting Sensation
You'll notice that all the tips in the lists above have nothing to do with the cutting sensation. When you have the idea to self-injure, start by trying the ideas on those lists — such as making art, walking your dog, or going for run.

If they don't help, move on to the substitute behaviors shown below.

These substitute behaviors won't work for everyone. They also don't help people get in touch with why they are cutting. What they do is provide immediate relief in a way that doesn't involve cutting, and therefore holds less risk of harm.

rub an ice cube on your skin instead of cutting it
wear a rubber band around your wrist and snap it gently against your skin
draw on the skin with a soft-tipped red pen in the place you might usually cut
Cutting can be a difficult pattern to break. But it is possible. If you want help overcoming a self-injury habit and you're having trouble finding anything that works for you, talk with a therapist. Getting professional help to overcome the problem doesn't mean that someone is weak or crazy. Therapists and counselors are trained to help people discover inner strengths that help them heal. These inner strengths can then be used to cope with life's problems in a healthy way.