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I self-harm unconsciously, how can I break this habit?

26 Answers
Last Updated: 07/12/2021 at 3:47pm
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
Moderated by

Polly Letsch, LCSW

Clinical Social Work/Therapist

I provide non-judgmental, person-centered, objective therapeutic treatment for individuals of all ages to improve social, emotional, mental and other areas of functioning.

Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
November 9th, 2014 11:27am
Find healthy ways to let out your anxiety! Often times it will take time to break a habit do not get discouraged because the emotions took time to build up. You will need time and commitment to break a habit! 1. Find the trigger of your self-harm. It is different for everyone, so start by asking yourself why do I it? And how and when does this habit started? 2. It will be helpful to find someone to talk to about the emotions that started the habit because repressing your emotions and thoughts that bother you will hurt you internally and your unconscious mind will find ways to physically feel the pain by self-harming. 3. Create a new healthy habit that will help you to let out your internal pain. Practicing a physical activity like a sport or a craft. 4. Most importantly love yourself, and you will ask me how? I will tell you by doing healthy habits you will see the healthy results and achievements in front of your eyes and this will increase your self-esteem, but when you self-harm the results will be wounds or physical pain that will make you feel worse and lowers your self-esteem.
Lindz7284
October 6th, 2014 3:34pm
Try playing with putty or something to occupy your hands, if you get into this habit of occupying yourself then it may help you break this habit. Good luck! Stay safe!
Anonymous
October 29th, 2014 8:57pm
try to find healthier alternatives which do not harm you. When you next feel the urge to self harm or are feeling triggered try writing your thoughts down and ripping them up or burning them, if that doesn't work then try scribbling in red on paper.
DPate16
October 22nd, 2014 2:17pm
Self harming is a very long process and hard habit to beat. Try to set goals for yourself. Focus on other things and try your best to think positive.
Imhereforyou2030
September 19th, 2014 4:30pm
Try taking your mind off of it by doing something you like to do, like a favorite hobby or a sport you like. You could even just hangout with your friends to take you mind off of self-harming.
Anonymous
October 29th, 2014 2:59pm
You should visit a trained professional in this matter. There are plenty of people who can help you.
sweettears0103
November 18th, 2014 2:13pm
divert your attention elsewhere. do not think about harming yourself at all and distract yourself. it helps.
sunshineSound7103
July 12th, 2021 3:47pm
Try to notice when you are most stressed/when you get triggered & learn to recognize those situations. That way, in the future you can become more tuned in to yourself and can figure out when you become stressed enough to self-harm. Then, after training yourself to recognize those moments, you can be more mindful of your movements and actions to be aware of whether or not you are self-harming. When you find that you are, focus on doing something else with your body part that tries to self-harm (ex: draw on your arm/hand with your finger when you feel like dragging your nails down your skin). I hope this helps!
Savana13
November 19th, 2014 11:08pm
You can just keep very in tune with yourself and pay close attention to what you're doing to keep you from doing it.
mellykitty
October 17th, 2014 7:30am
Some ways you can break the habit of unconsciously self harming is by channeling your focus into more productive and positive things.
SophieTheLime79
November 17th, 2014 10:14pm
I highly recommend getting yourself a Tangle Toy. I have one myself, they are very affordable and great for keeping your hands busy. Try looking on Amazon!
emilycraft
November 6th, 2014 12:31am
For me, I found other things that distracted me. For example, I took up art. Now I make $200 a week selling it. You could do good deeds, or take a long bubble bath, or anything you find fun and or distracting.
Anonymous
November 5th, 2014 2:55pm
Think positive! The more down you are the more you feel the urge. Talk to a professional that can get you help.
Anonymous
October 31st, 2014 9:50pm
Tell you're story outloud, you will se the problem from the outside. I'm sure you have the power to stop this.
iamjess
October 31st, 2014 11:43am
Remove any tools or objects that you use to self-harm and remove any triggering things from your everyday life.
Bikki
October 30th, 2014 12:57am
Self-harm can be a tough habit to break. Try focusing on forming positive habits to replace the self-harm. For ex: rather than hurt yourself, go for a walk, or watch a funny video on you-tube, do something that brings you joy. Create a habit that only positive benefits, without any pain. The happy feeling will last much, much longer.
Yarrick
October 10th, 2014 7:52am
Direct your attention to something else whenever you think about self-harming. Take up something that would allow you to release any tension, anger, fear or sadness.
illbebyyourside1
October 24th, 2014 12:15am
Promise yourself you won't do it. It probably will be difficult, but do a favour for you. Everytime you think you'll self-harm, go do another thing. Drink something, listen to music you like, whatever. But make this an habit.
Anonymous
May 8th, 2015 11:04am
If you try to put your blades in a cup of water, and freeze them, they'll take forever to un-thaw, so by the time they do, you won't feel the urge anymore.
sereneSun58
December 15th, 2015 10:21pm
Talk with someone you trust! or tell your parents and go talk to someone who is trained to help people !
Nsquared15
January 26th, 2016 2:35pm
When I struggled with this issue, I found it helpful to keep my hands busy doing something productive like painting, drawing, taking photographs, even writing was a good way to relieve the urge to self-harm for me. One of my dearest friends, whenever he feels the urge to self-harm, he will go for a run, running sometimes 4 miles until the urge finally passed.
strawberrySoul15
November 7th, 2016 2:15am
Call the suicide hotline immediately. I'm sure that their service will give you good care as soon as possible.
gloriousPudding18
May 1st, 2018 12:15am
Try focusing on something else you could do with your time. You could paint, keep a journal or even draw on yourself instead of cutting.
shiningSound31
June 18th, 2018 1:20am
Mindfulness exercises given, here, on this platform; Pranayam (breathing exercises); Meditation; Practising Hobbies; Listening to Music-Positive, soft, happy music;
fancySound39
July 16th, 2018 4:18pm
Breaking a habit of self harm is difficult. But not impossible. There has been lots of proven ways to stop self harm and be able to help. Some of these things could be such as writing down how you feel. Ripping up paper. Drawing on yourself where you would normally cut. Or making a paper chain and adding colourful paper for one you haven’t self harmed that day and using white or black when you have. This way you may see an improvement throughout a course of time
Itisbailey
September 1st, 2020 8:59pm
Habits are an easy thing to develop, but a hard thing to break! I am glad you are aware it is happening unconsciously, but that would be difficult to deal with. I think there are some factors that would play into breaking the habit. First, it does take about 30 days of not doing the habit to break it. It also depends on what type of self-harm you are doing. I think maybe something like journaling might help get the the bottom of why and when it happens (triggers, ect.). Also, maybe try something like distraction to help break it. I hope you find what works for you!