deppresion and cutting~~Plz Help

Hi Brody! Thanks for reaching out--I know it can be a hard thing to do.

I went through a similar kind of thing: I'd stopped cutting for a long time, then I started again and wasn't sure what to do.

It's important to let your therapist know that you're struggling again, and to understand that any treatment plans your therapist makes are not meant to punish you--they're meant to help you recover. Hiding your self-injury is often tempting, but it's counter-productive, as I'm sure you know. The simplest way to recover as fully as possible is to take advantage of all of the resources available to you, including your therapist.

Maybe it would help you to think of the reasons why you don't want to share this with your therapist, and working from there?

Thanks again for sharing--EC is always here!

Jane

 

You need to explore other forms of release, ones that don't involve making yourself feel pain. Whevener I have an urge to self-harm, I normally use one of three or so things. The first is a bit like a shock. Something that 'shocks' your senses. Like, biting into a lemon slice, or splashing your face with cold water. The second is somewhat of a reminder. I'd write and draw on areas where I'd normally cut, scrape, or burn. I'd remind myself of how long its been since my last incident. Writing things like "Hope", "Change", and other positive words work best. My last one is the simplest things. You could scream, you could cry, or you could kill a pillow.. its the easiest release. And after letting everything out (however long it takes) you do feel relieved of at the very least, some tension. Just don't rush it. It takes time to heal. <3 Best of luck x and I'm here if you need to talk. Really hope this helps.(*hug*)

 

I'm not going to be of huge help because this kinda stuff triggers me pretty bad but still

I know Sam (Mogget) talks about grounding, and it took me forever to really understand it; but if you find something else to occupy your attention it does help. Video games or reading for instance, anything you know won't trigger your depression. You're trying to just not think of those things for the time being.

I find crying helps me sometimes, I used to use rubber bands on my wrists and red markers but those don't work for me, they might for you though so I think you should try them.

I'm not really good at stopping myself but I hope I at least helped you a little

 

Fugs is right, I do talk about grounding as a mechanism to prevent self-harm. Grounding is the art of transferring attention away from the thoughts and emotions to the senses. Things like running cold water over your hands, raking leaves or shoveling snow (assuming you give your full attention to it), listing the objects in a room, or concentrating on your breath are all forms of grounding.

For a more extreme form of grounding you can hold an ice cube to your bare skin (briefly! hold it in one spot too long and you get get frostbite) or eat something with a powerful and unpleasant taste like an orange peel or a chili pepper.

More generally, talk to your therapist. Let her know you're afraid of the hospital, and that you want help. Self-harm is a tough addiction to get out of, but it is possible.