Alternatives for self harm when it is used as a decisive action in an overwhelmingly uncertain situation?
2 Answers
Last Updated: 04/28/2020 at 4:30am
Moderated by
Tracy-Kate Teleke, PsyD, M.A., LMFT
Marriage & Family Therapist
I assist adults and couples in CA experiencing relationship challenges and interpersonal struggles including anxiety, depression, and a myriad of other life challenges.
Top Rated Answers
Some things you could do include squeezing an ice cube, hitting a pillow, throwing something really hard, tearing up paper, squeezing a stress ball, or spending energy through any form of exercise.
Self harm is NEVER the answer, trust me, I’ve been there and if I could take it back I would. For alternatives, I would say that it depends on what self harming gives you; is it the pain that helps you cope, the cutting marks themselves, or the blood? For each of these I have tried and stand by methods that are safe alternatives for self harm. If it is the pain you are looking for, try pinching your arm. This may even leave a red mark for a while, which would also help visually. Another way to achieve marks is by using ice cubes on your arm, holding them like you would a knife and “cutting†with them. This will make you feel like you are harming, but you will he doing so safely. If you need to see blood, do the ice cube trick but use red dyed water to make the cubes. It will look like blood dripping on your arms.
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