self-harm advice? (it might be triggering so a warning!)

When I feel completely empty and depressed, and the urge to self-harm comes, I just sit down and play a song on my guitar, cuddle with my puppy (if he's not there, cuddling with anything: pillows, stuffed animals, etc. works as well), things like that.

Or sometimes I'll just sink down and let my hands reach my face, and then I'll gently move them down it, feeling the light curves and lines. It sounds a bit weird, but it helps a lot.

Writing (poems, songs, short stories, even random words.. anything.) helps me a LOT as well. I just focus on nothing, go to another place, and let, well, words happen. I've never been very artistic, so trying to sketch and failing makes me worse sometimes. But I've always loved (and hated, really) words and their power.

You can always message me on here if you feel like you have no one to talk to; I check it as often as possible and I understand that feeling far too well.

I know you can overcome this!

 

If you can, try freezing your cutting tool in a small container. That way, by the time it melts, you likely won't have such a strong urge. I'll also throw my name into that hat of people you can message if you need. I'm usually up to ungodly hours anyways,

 

I guess the question becomes what does the cutting do for you - i.e. what makes you want to cut? Is it a need to feel something? If so, simply flicking a rubber band against your wrist or holding a piece of salted ice might provide some of the same sensations that cutting does in a less harmful way. If it's wanting to see blood, perhaps some red food coloring would work. As you can see, the alternatives might vary based on what cutting does for you.

There's also the Butterfly Project that you might want to look at - how it works is that every time that you feel the urge to cut, you draw a butterfly on yourself where you would normally cut. If you cut before the butterfly naturally wears off (NO SCRUBBING!!! ), then the butterfly dies. If not, then the butterfly lives, and who wants to kill cute butterflies??

 

I tend to read or write. I also often go through some of my accoints. I also roleplay with my friends...

If you wanna talk message me!

 

There are two big ways to cope with the urge to cut: passive and active coping. Passive consists of distraction ex. listening to music, playing video games, reading... Active is physically/mentally adressing the urge. Ex. Excersizing, writing about how you feel, talking about your emotions, rationalizing your thougts, doing a hobby...

Great job on making it through a week without cutting! I know from experience how tough that is. Keep it up! its really hard to stop all of a sudden and it helps to do something else instead of cutting.

Drawing cuts with red pen helped me. The pressure on my hand felt nice and the red was satisfying. Holding ice cubes or hitting my hand on a table is also good. Whenever I feel the urge t cut, I do something to distract or make me feel better. Drawing/singing/dancing helped me a lot, especially since it made me active.

Good luck! Message me if you need