Dealing With Relapses
When overcoming an addiction, relapses are common. It is nothing to be ashamed of, these things happen sometimes. I know it can frustrating and may feel like you have lost all progress, but that is not the case. There are many things you can do when you relapse or feel you are about to.
Get support
Talk to someone about what is going on. Talk to anyone you feel comfortable talking to. You could talk to a family member, friend, teacher, counselor, therapist, or even a 7Cups listener. I promise there are people out there who will listen to you.
Listen to your body
Healthy living is important when recovering from self-harm. Make sure you are eating properly, getting enough sleep, and exercising. When your body feels bad, your mind will also feel bad.
Listen to your mind
Sometimes, when we get overwhelmed we revert back to our unhealthy habits. When you start to feel stressed or overwhelmed, try to identify the triggers. If you are stressed about homework, focus on the work that is due the next day. Some teachers will give extensions if you talk to them too.
Coping Skills
Coping skills are activities you do when you start to feel triggered or upset. There are six categories of coping skills. Distraction, service, grounding, reality check, emotional release, and access higher power. Within each category are many different skills, so if something doesn't work for you don't give up! I promise there are other skills to look at and try. This image contains a list of skills and their pros and cons.
Be kind
I know you are probably frustrated, but please be nice to yourself. Acknowledge your relapse, but do not punish yourself or bring yourself down. Instead, accept the fact you relapsed and work on moving on. Remember, recovery is a long and complicated process. Instead of thinking of recovery as a straight line, think of it as a roller coaster. There will be ups and downs, but it will end eventually and everything will be ok.
@PurpleSnail
What a lovely post, thank you 
@admaiorasemper
Thank you for the kind words <3 
I used to self harm a lot. Cutting was my go to and sometimes burning or starving. I've been cut free for sometime now and last night I was triggered to do it again. I felt the urge all the way down into my bones. My mind kept telling me " just one more time". But I know it wont be. I didnt do it, but I really really wanted to. Why is the addiction so strong? Why must I want to hurt my body in return for only more pain. And scars, I have so many and I hate them
But yet my mind keeps telling me to do it again. To feel the blade in my skin, to feel something. To feel okay, for even just a second before I've realized what I've done. To see the blood and the open wound across my thigh. I hate this.
Hello @selfdisciplinedDog3658
I'm proud of you for resisting the urge to self-harm. I'm sure it was tough, but you did it. The more you do resist, the easier it will be in the future :)
As for why you feel the need to self-harm, I don't know for sure. For some people, it serves as a coping skill. For others, they just want to punish themself. There are other reasons too, but those are all I can think of right now. Since I don't know every detail of your situation, I can't tell you why you feel this way. Think about what triggers you to harm yourself and what you think you will gain from it. Maybe that will help, though I'm honestly not sure. I'm sorry I can't give you a clear answer <3
@PurpleSnail thank you though it helped, I appreciate you responding:)
I used to harm myself by scratching myself I never left any scars so people didn't believe me. I'd been harm free for nearly 3 months now but day before yesterday I relapsed and I scratched my self again still no scars. What do I do so people believe me?
@Alextrona
Who do you want to believe you? If it is a friend: did you think about why it is so important for you that they believe you? If a therapist: Go to another one. They shouldn't see your struggles as worth less because they don't leave scars.
Relapsed after 6 months and feel like a failure
@runningfromtime fighting addiction is hard just because you relapsed doesn't mean you failed. You just have to try again.❤️
@runningfromtime
Hey it's okay there I relapsed after about 2 years and I've had a few relapses since. This doesn't make us failures even though it may feel that way sometimes. It just means we had a bad day and turned to old coping skills to help and that's okay
When you want to cut, what do you do to help you stay motivated not to cut? I always think that, well, actually, stopping isn't that important, what's the use in that?
Hello @navyBlueberry2704
Personally, I remind myself of how far I have come and how long I have gone without cutting. I also get rid of all the sharp objects I could use to hurt myself so I don't have access to anything I could use. The resource tab in the self-harm recovery community has a list of healthy activities you could do when you feel like harming yourself too.
@PurpleSnail
Thanks a lot for sharing this. God bless. ❤
@lyricalAngel70
:)
@PurpleSnail
I haven't cut in over 9 months.. but today.. stress and emotions just attacked me. i heard this voice telling me to and i really couldn't stop. so i cut again today.. i'm trying my hardest to stop but i just can't..
Hello @Asher2343
I'm sorry you relapsed. Please don't beat yourself up over it, this happens. Relapse is part of recovery <3 If you want to chat about what is going on, feel free to message me :)
@PurpleSnail
Thanks for replying. Appreciate it. I will message you later because i have too much stuff to do rn <3
@PurpleSnail
Thank you for posting this <3
@TheAtticusFinch
:)
@PurpleSnail
Thank you for this reminder, I've been beating myself up over relapsing. This reminded me that it happens and to accpet and move on. Learn to take care of myself and reach out when I'm feeling well.
@Goldcherry2113
I am glad you are learning to take better care of yourself <3