Why do people self-harm?

There are many different reasons as to why people self-harm. Like every other issue, it varies from person to person. It can go from being very easy to understand to very complicated so let me break it down here a little bit. Imagine a place where you're all alone and you're being dragged down in an ocean. Deeper and deeper with no possible escape. Now imagine finding a rope that can pull you out of that suffocation. You would do anything at that point just to get out of th water, right? And that rope is th only escape you see so when out of desperation you hold on to that and are pulled out from th water, imagine the relief. That's how self-harm works. With th ocean being th depression you're surrounded with and self-harm that ray of hope you see as an escape. So why do people self-harm? In an attempt to find relief.

People self harm for a number of reasons. Being someone who deals with cutting, a few insights on that world and to know; self harm isn't a suicide attempt in any way shape or form when they are doing it for the act of self-harm. SH includes but is not limited to: cutting, bruising, hair pulling, bone breaking, head banging and biting. People SH because: they want to feel something, they feel numb or want to be in control. They might feel like they deserve pain or that they don't have enough pain. (You see self-harm as them hurting themselves too much, we might see it as never hurting enough) People SH also from bullying, home life, abuse, addiction, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and sometimes suicide. However, just because a person SH doesn't mean that they're suicidal. People are still people, they [we] are no less of human than you are because of what we do. Although SH isn't a good way to cope, and we need to find better ways to cope, always know that 7cups is here to support you throughout your time of struggle and throughout your time in need. Stay strong!

People self-harm, because something hurts them inside so much that they can't handle it anymore, so to distract themselves they hurt their body to distract their mind.

People self harm cos we feel so much emotional pain and we turn the inside pain outside therefore giving it a focus which can be seen by the eye and making it easier to deal with. Physical pain is often easier to overcome than emotional pain and for this reason self-harm suddenly becomes less of a ghastly act and becomes something a little more understandable. Many find the physical pain comforting as it is temporarily distracting from any other forms of pain while others feel no pain whatsoever when one harm themselves but feel in control of what they are doing when they cannot control the actual feelings they are experiencing.

some people self harm because they feel they deserve it, some because they feel numb inside and want to feel something, anything, at all. there are many reasons, as self harm is a complex thing, but these are the ones that I have heard of the most

cause they feel empty ,they feel that everyone is avoiding them, they feel worthless and that they don't deserve anything

Self-harm is an escape, a way of expressing feelings, or just feeling something. Harming ones self perhaps seems like a more reasonable option than harming things around one. Or when a person is feeling numb, it's the easiest way to feel something. Self-harm can become an addiction... once you start, it is hard to stop and can become possible to harm for no apparent reason.

Self-harm can be a way of coping with problems. It may help you express feelings you can’t put into words, distract you from your life, or release emotional pain. Afterwards, you probably feel better—at least for a little while. But then the painful feelings return, and you feel the urge to hurt yourself again. If you want to stop but don’t know how, remember this: you deserve to feel better, and you can get there without hurting yourself.

It's just out of frustration and immense pain and psychological and social lagging that make a person so stressed out that he/she feels harming themselves is easier than overcoming the pressure of the above things..

Often self harm is a sign of some deeper hurt. Hoping to dull pain on the inside by inflicting pain of the outside.

Very often, people find that physical pain can override the strong debilitating mental and emotional pain they are feeling. Anything that takes their mind off their problems is something they are willing to do - self harm is no exception.

To relieve themselves from stressful or depressing situations. People often use self-harm as a way to escape.

The reasons differ from person to person, but it all stems down to something missing in their life. Attention, love, companionship, stability, etc.

I think because there are times where physical pain seems far less than the mental pain you are feeling. Also sometimes it seems like the only way to feel anything at all. Another reason is it can be a way for people to realize and notice what your are experiencing.

In my opinion, people "self-harm" to express deep feeling or to distract themselves from those deep feelings. Those feelings are often based on beliefs that have been embedded as a result of negative life experiences. People self-harm because it's the only way they know to get relief from their pain and the only way they know how to feel calm.

Self-harm can be really hard to understand. It involves hurting our own bodies in order to feel relief from our problems. It distracts us by making us focus on the physical pain instead of on our emotional pain. Self-harming can become addicting, causing a cycle of pain and relief that is very hard to break. However, self-harm is never a healthy way to cope with our feelings. It can evolve into worse ways of harming. Since this is only a temporary relief, the best solution is finding healthier ways to cope that do not involve causing harm to our own bodies.

I self-harmed for the better part of 3 years, and to this day I cannot say when life gets tough it doesn't still cross my mind. I wish I could tell you why I did it, but I honestly don't know. I have asked myself that for years, and I haven't come out with a good reason. I doubt that helps, since it didn't answer your question. But not everyone knows why.... sometimes the reason isn't meant to be known.

A lot of people with depression stop feeling anything feeling anything is a relief so they decide to feel pain, people see it as a weakness or a stupid thing to do but in reality they just want to feel something

Self harm can be a way to release unresolved emotions, or because we feel like we aren't having emotions at all and want to feel something. It can be a way to punish yourself, or just a way to cope. It is maladaptive and unhealthy but in a crisis situation, it is a way to keep going and is sometimes necessary to the person. Because it is used as a coping mechanism it can also be very addictive so the person involved needs to be emotionally ready to deal with the reasons behind their self harm and able to find a more positive alternative for themselves.

In my case (when i used to do it), i did it to calm myself. Every time i got very bad breakdowns at night, i hurt myself with a blade.