@itsliterallyme I don't know if this helps, but personally I just get scared my mother would find out. That in itself is enough to keep me from doing it. I don't know if it applies to you, but to be frank, fear is the only thing keeping it away. The urges are still there, the feelings are still there, but yeah, that's what stops me from doing it, I guess.
Tell myself to wait 15 minutes and if I still want to then I can. When 15 minutes ends, repeat. Sometimes you can out wait the urge.
Go on a walk or change the environment if you. Get yourself out of the room where your implements are.
Draw a doodle where you want to harm.
Stay safe <3
I also use a red washable marker and scribble where I want to SH. It gives me the “blood” look but it is safe and washable. It doesn’t work all the time, but does give me another outlet.
This works for me but may not work for everyone. I had a friend once find out that I was SH ing and I saw how much it hurt him. Every time I get the urge I just remind myself that if I do it then it will hurt other people in my life more than me and that defeats the purpose.
Hello,
My therapist recommended that I try doing exercises that cause muscle pain, like planking or wall squats.
He also recommended that I try snapping my wrist with a rubber band, or holding something cold like ice in my hands.
I have tried writing on myself in red ink before.
When I mentioned to my therapist that I enjoy the blood aspect of self harm he recommended I try putting something on my skin like hot sauce. It would be red like blood and if I lick it off it would cause a painful sensation.
I still struggle with SH. I have noticed that the best way to keep myself from doing it is thinking of my partner; I promised him I would stop. And I don't want to break a promise to someone I love, so I hope it prevents future incidents.
I hope these tips can help! I understand how difficult it is to stop. I have an addiction to SH, and it is easy to revert to old patterns to help cope.
Sending much love <3 ~Cami
@itsliterallyme For me it depends WHY I want to do it. Usually it's a way to punish myself and avoid thinking about something. First I try and identify the thought I'm avoiding. Then I confront and dismiss the negative thoughts I'm having about myself, arguing back against them. I then affirm I don't deserve physical pain as punishment, no matter what.
When I hurt myself instead of confronting these thoughts, I'm telling myself they are true. It will only make it harder to stop believing them. When I confront them, it's more painful at first, because I'm facing the fact that I feel like a failure. But over time, it gets easier and easier to face the thoughts and dismiss them, and they start coming less and less often.
A recent example of when I did poorly on a midterm:
My negative thought: you're lazy, you're going to fail your classes.
Rebuttal: I am not lazy, I have a condition that makes it hard to focus. Doing poorly on one test does not mean I will fail. I have time to recover from this. Even if I do fail or do poorly, that's okay too.
Affirmation: Even if I was lazy, I don't deserve to be hurt for that. That is an unreasonable response. My grade on the test will be punishment enough for waiting too long to study. I don't need to add to the pain.
@itsliterallyme i have found ice really helpful