Does cutting for only a few months and stopping make me any less of a self-harmer?

That will always be part of your identity, because it’s an obstacle you’ve faced and that has made you stronger.

Cutting is a form of self-harm that unfortunately helps often young people to cope with overwhelming emotions temporarily. However, it is self-destructive in nature; it is not only dangerous, but it is not helpful in the long term. Whenever you feel like cutting yourself, you should reach out to someone. I don't believe that it is a bad habit that should just be reduced gradually. Unlike cutting down on smoking or alcohol to overcome addictions. Cutting should not be done at all as it can cause immense feelings of shame after you do it and this can make everything a lot worse. Mutilating your body should not be used as a means for reducing your stress. You should seek out healthier options and this can be done by speaking to someone you can trust. This could be a doctor, a therapist, or a good friend.

Self harm is self harm. No matter how long, or how many times it is practiced, it doesn’t make it any worse or any better.

Not at all. The fact that you get the urge to harm yourself and engage in self-harm behaviour at all would technically make you a "self-harmer". You don't need to label yourself as that though because that doesn't make you who you are.

No,self-harm isn’t about for how long you do it.Maybe you do it for a day,but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t count.

cutting for any amount of time can be addicting and if you continuously do it will always be an option for you, but if you find other ways to cope that are healthier for you and less addicting, you could stop sooner.

Cutting ourselves/ trying to self harm won't do any good. You are just hurting yourself. You should love yourself, you'll feel better

If you automatically decide to stop cutting, and you avoid cutting when you feel the urge, you can consider yourself recovered on the first day. The decision to stop makes you a brave, strong person!

With or without a label of self-harmer, the fact that it has been a method of coping in the past highlights that something has been amiss for that to happen. Unless unhealthy mechanisms are replaced with healthy ones, there is always the potential for that pattern to rise up again, in similar situations of triggered stress or trauma. I would be less concerned about the label, and more concerned about getting help to work through the behaviours that created the need for self-harming.

No, it doesnt. Cutting yourself is always going to hurt you and is super dammaging for you body and for you

no any form of self harm is serious and should be taken seriously. weather it is just a scratch or a cut that need stitches. all types are just a serious

Self harm does not define a person. If someone is engaging in self harm, whether it be for long or short periods of time, they are in need of guidance and support. But I don't believe the act itself defines the person.

I am a self harmer myself I'd say it will get better in time with the right distractions and treatment I recommend telling a close friend how you feel this really helped me I am now a while month clean because i had good support from friends and college

Self harming behaviors are often used as a form of self regulation; they often make the person utilizing those behaviors or methods feel as if they are "back in control", whether it is aimed to feel something aside from emotional numbness or to reduce and regain control of feelings that are powerful and overwhelming. Using self harm as a means of self-regulation can be dangerous no matter how infrequently you engage in those behaviors. Stopping for a while may mean that you were able to cope in better ways for that period of time, even if you weren't actively doing so. It could also mean that you were temporarily exposed to fewer, or less potent stress-factors. If you are trying to stop, then there are a variety of resources designed to help people with this issue. Reaching out to a trusted friend, or using ice rather than a harmful implement have been found by many to be satisfactory as substitute behavior. in addition, using a journal is often a good way to acknowledge and work through feelings as they are being experienced.

I think that you *were* (key word) a self harmer. You have fought a hard battle and I don't think it's fair for you to label yourself as a self-harmer. You have worked hard to get yourself to where you are now and I'm proud of you. I hope that you can continue working to control your urges and find people that lift you up in life, because that is so so important. The people that make you smile, take your pain and make you want to live, hold onto them because they are special. You were a self-harmer. Now you are on the way to recovery. *hugs*

Hello there, thanks for reaching out! Issues such as these can be hard to muster up the courage to seek help from others. To answer your question, there is no "less" to being a self-harmer. It sounds like you feel that stopping the cutting means that your issues or concerns are not as valid as other people's. This is not the case at all! Being able to stop cutting does not invalidate your experiences, rather it is a great thing to accomplish and shows your determination and strength to get better and feel more stable! Remember that others are always around you to lend an ear if you ever need to exhaust your stress and worries!

No. Purposefully cutting, no matter for how long, makes you a self-harmer. If you have stopped, you can say you are a recovering self-harmer.

You are not permanently defined by your mistakes. If you have self-harmed, the sooner you can stop and not become addicted to this behaviour as a long-term coping mechanism - the better.

I don’t believe there is a scale for how much of a self-harmer one is. If you’re deliberately hurting yourself, it is self-harm, no matter for how long you’ve been doing it. However, I believe it’s great that you’re stopping!

The fact that you could stop yourself within such limitated time and now have control over the situation is commendable. Self-harmer is not a bad word and it's not you anymore if you have the control.

Self-harm comes in various forms and methods. Every individual who has self-harmed would experience it differently. Many individuals will go through waves, and self-harming may reflect what is happening in their life. For example, an individual may go through a period of frequent self-harm because of issues at home but may cease or stop because maybe these things became better. But this however, does not mean they are any less of a self-harmer. Stigma unfortunately sets an image of determining whether someone is a severe self-harmer, etc. However, not one person who self-harms is any more severe than another as all individuals are classified the same as each individual will self-harm differently.

Being a self harmed isn’t a title to be proud of! Cutting yourself once makes you a self harm victim. Get help don’t suffer alone

Self harm is difficult, even if you were doing it for years but have now stopped are you still a self-harmer? No matter how little or how much you do it, it is still something that should be taken seriously and that you should talk to a professional about.

No, self-harm is simply that, harming yourself. A person who's harmed themselves once, is just as entitled to assistance as a person who's harmed themselves for years.

No, it absolutely does not. Self harm is self harm, regardless if it's one time or I've hundred times.

No you're still a victim of self-harm. Time doesn't measure anything. You could cut for a week or for years either way you're still effected by it.

Yes, it does but that’s a good thing because it shows that you’re getting better. That things are starting to look up. And it might not feel like that yet but it will soon. You just have to give it time, change will happen

No, you are still self-harming. If you are self harming or are feeling suicidal, please contact 1-800-273-8255 (This is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) or dial 911 ASAP. Your life is valuable.

I use to cut for almost two years, and i stopped for about one month. Self-harm is a serious addiction, i know how hard it can be to escape that cycle. But it depends on how you are feeling and if you want to continue cutting.

Self-harm is a very serious thing, regardless of when it happened. Something or someone made you feel like self-harm is a good idea, and that is not true at all. It's a big deal and shouldn't be taken lightly.