My History
I remember it was my friend's sixteenth birthday, and as a gift, she asked me to stop hurting myself. It was very complicated at first, cutting myself, especially on my legs, had become a habit for me, and I do not even know the reason I started, I just remember that it was in a dark time of my life, and the cuts turned to my escape valve: if something was hurting me emotionally, I cut myself, because I would rather feel physical pain. It's been a week since my last cuts and I'm taking one step at a time: when I want to get hurt, I think of things that are positive, even the oldest ones, or I just remember my friend, which is why I'm here.
@CarolinaOliveira
Hello there! :) It's so brave of anyone to post about their struggles to the internet, so I'd first like to congratulate you and thank you for doing just that. It also shows a lot of courage and bravery to try to stop something that has been helping you, and has been your emotional support for so long. I am so glad your friend is by your side throughout all this! It really, truly does help to have a friend by your side.
Yes, feeling the physical pain rather than dealing with the emotional pain can seem more beatable for us in the moment, but something to remind ourselves of often is that like everything in life, emotions are just temporary. It can be very overwhelming to feel them at first, but the more exposure you get to them, the less intense they become eventually. Plus, if you ignore the emotional pain, it will probably just try to grab your attention more (like when you ignore a younger child, and they'll scream or jump on you to grab your attention more!) :p
I am so proud of you for trying to think positive things whenever you feel like self-harming! Recovery is just one step at a time, and you are doing awesome!!! Positive things are positive things, no matter how far away they happened. :)
If you'd like some more alternatives to aelf-harming, there's a great list here with distractions categorised by mood: click me!
I'm so glad you stopped by to post a message! Take care! :) xx
I agree with Rebecca that it's very brave and difficult to come out about self harm to someone, especially to the internet.
You have picked a great place to do so, as well. As I've only been a listener for a few weeks but I've noticed that this is the most welcoming community I've ever seen.
I wish you the best of luck on your journey. Me and the other great people on 7cups will be there for you all the way! :)