Want to cut but don't want to cut

Don't promise to your friend. Promise to yourself.

I don't know what's going on, but, hey, seeing your picture reminds me of the butterfly project.

Check it out. It might help.

And if your life is feeling out of control, please raise up your hand and gently touch your face.

You're here. You're real. And you're in control.

(*hug*)

 

Don't do it for her.
Do it for yourself.
If she doesn't want to be your friend, her problem. Than she's not worth it to start cutting again.

 

I know exactly how you feel. Honestly; I'm in the same place right now.
Try using alternatives - If you cut to see blood, try this website or draw on your skin with a red pen or marker.
If you cut to feel something, try rubbing ice along your skin, taking a cold shower, or sticking rubber bands around your wrists/legs and (gently) slapping them against your skin.
If you cut to release tension, you could rip up paper, listen to loud music, scream, go for a walk, or throw a rubber ball against a wall (oops rhyming).

If you can, tell another person about your struggle. Ultimately you should decide to stop because you want yourself to, but it's always good to have some extra support.
And congratulations on making it so long without cutting, by the way! I know how hard that is, and you've done a great job

 

I know what you mean and I understand that. Really.
Well, with me it's the opposite.
I cut but people don't want me to. But I only can stop when I myself can convince myself to stop.
Then do it for me.
I don't know you at all but I care about you. Doesn't matter if I know you or not.
There's always someone that cares. It's not always obvious.

 

do what i did, get yourself a new habit, i find when im stressed i like to feel soft things and that helps calm me down, it worked for me and its been a year so its worth a shot.

 

CharlsOn is right. And I care too. We all do. So do it for us, too.

I understand about how cutting makes you feel sane. But cutting is not the only option. I'll parrot what Otaku2014 said: get yourself a new habit.

I used to self harm when I was angry. Now, I don't do it anymore. Instead, I do chores. I sweep the floor, I vacuum, I fold my clothes, I take out the trash, I feed the chickens, I dust my desk, I wash the dishes... all that stuff.

Maybe it's different, but it really helped me. Trust me, I hate doing chores, but it helped me work off that... excess energy.

I know, when you feel sad, you feel like you have no energy instead, so what I do is sleep. If I can't sleep, I go outside and sit until I feel better. Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I don't.

Distract yourself, I guess, is what I'm saying.

It's easier said than done, I know. But you can do it. (*hug*)

 

Hold onto some ice cubes and scream and bawl if you got to. But dont cut, please! You are too great <3

 

It's never a good idea to enter into a no cutting pact with anyone. More often than not the pressure builds and builds and the desire to cut increases in intensity over time and often results in a very bad return with even more serious physical and emotional scars. Please do not promise anyone that you will not cut. Its far better to explore alternative strategies and mechanisms, if you can, but never say to anyone that you will not do it. OP: Have you looked at alternatives to cutting at all? If so, what have you tried?

We need to recognise cutting for what it is - a coping mechanism. It's not a good coping mechanism, but it's better than what could happen if the desperate thoughts are allowed to build and spiral out of control. Even though you have managed 223 days without cutting, you have clearly been counting on a calendar or diary and that suggests to me that you are not yet past it. Only when you reach the point of not knowing to the day can you seriously say that you have moved on.

When the urge to cut builds can you maybe hold off for 15 minutes, during which time you should do something (anything) other than think about cutting? If, after 15 minutes the urge to cut is still very strong then it is your choice to act on the urge (to keep yourself safe) or not. If the urge has reduced, you can try another 15 minutes and so on, all the while congratulating yourself for 'surfing the urge'. But, if you do go ahead and cut, don't beat yourself up or give in to feelings of guilt or shame.. because you should never feel bad for keeping yourself safe. Just make sure you talk to a trusted person about it afterwards to try to make sense of what happened.

If you don't have any ideas about coping mechanisms, let us know. I'm sure we'll be able to share some ideas with you.

 

I'm in a similar situation. My friend makes fun of people who cut, which has made me stop, but I don't want to be friends with her anymore, so I don't see the point in stopping. I've never done any serious cutting, but I've cut with a pair of twizers before a few times. I've had dermatillomania and plucked my eyelashes (don't know the proper term for that) for almost all of my life, which is somewhat self-harm, I guess.

Don't listen to me. I don't have good advice. Listen to everyone else.

 

I'm just gonna say ditto here...I know the feeling all too well.

 

One of the things I reccomend rather than cutting is holding ice to where you'd cut. Because it still causes the pain, to some extent, but doesn't leave any long term injuries. Or chew/bite the insides of your cheeks/lips, which is what I do, although that does cause some harm, though not much.

 

What helped me to stop cutting was a combination of things. I think the biggest reason was because of all of the stress it was putting on my mom, just like your promise to your friend. But two other things helped me as well. One of them was medication. After my meds started to kick in, pain started to feel uncomfortable. It always hurt, but the pleasure of it just sort of went away. Another thing that helped would be the feeling like I was becoming ugly because of all the scars on me.

 

I hope it helps. Hang on there. (*hug*)

 

Can you say how or why cutting became your chosen method in the first place? Is it because you need to see blood?