Do I have to talk about progress?
Hi all, I’ve had an on and off relationship with SH for over 14 years, (I’m 27 now) and I find myself coming back to it over and over again when I need to cope. However my partner notices, and it makes me feel ashamed. But on the same hand, as messed up as it may seem, I kind of enjoy the comfort it brings me when I feel hopeless. Does anybody out there relate? Am I just yelling into the void right now?
I understand what you mean . It’s been on and off for about 13 years . I’m 21 now and when my fiancé notices it makes me feel horrible . I try my best not to . But there’s a level of guilt that even comes with the urge for me at this point which makes me want to do it more . For me a lot of it is about controlling something and having what would almost be a ritual . Is it the same for you ? Another really odd thing I’ve never mentioned to anyone and I want to know if you feel the same but just having something you could use around is ... comforting. Like even if I’m not going to I still want to know I could if I wanted to . I know it’s bad my fiancé throw them out every time they find them but it just takes a level of the tension off for some reason . I hope you’re feeling good today ❤️
@Iguessradiodreamwastaken
I can relate to you. The reason why you feel comforting after feeling hopeless is that in general, life without problems becomes boring. We feel successful after overcoming our problems.
I totally relate to this. It’s very difficult to break from an unhealthy coping mechanism, because that’s what it is — a way to cope. For a long time, SH was the only thing that could help me calm down, even though I would feel ashamed when my partner saw the marks. Recently, I’ve been trying a lot more grounding techniques that give me the same stimulation without hurting me.
What is a grounding technique?
A grounding technique is any positive action that helps you prevent a negative action. For example, when I tried to beat tobacco, my grounding technique of journaling prevented the negative action of smoking.
I can relate. I’m 49 and still cut myself. I’m bipolar and my lows bring me into, what my therapist calls, severe major depression. So I get to the point where I don’t feel anything. I’m completely numb and cutting allows me to feel something. None of the healthy grounding techniques work because I remain numb. Because of the depression, I don’t even get to enjoy cutting but I do like the comforting pain.
