We all need a little help, support, and love, while we work through our self-harm. Self-help and self-care can replace self-injury.
Recognising that our self-injury / self-harm isn’t as ‘helpful’ as we’d like to believe is a big step. Everyone needs ways of coping, ways of dealing with the stress and distress, but we can learn other ways of managing our emotions.
While getting support from others and from professional services is often really helpful (if also quite stressing) self-help is the first idea to consider when you’re ready to reduce your reliance on self-injury.
LifeSIGNS is led and managed by people with personal experience of self-harm – everything you read here has been written by someone who struggles with the urge to hurt:
- if on the edge of hurting yourself now, read this first;
- consider distraction techniques like masturbation (yes, really) and our 15 minute rule;
- learn how to manage your emotions by surfing the urge, knowing when you’re hungry, angry, lonely, tired, and recognising that self-injury is a choice – a choice to cope in a certain way;
- find out how scars work, how to reduce scars and how to hide them – and when to show scars;
- surf through the links in the ‘Helping you’ drop-down menu – see what works for you.
Everyone at LifeSIGNS wants to support you along the recovery journey – join us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook.
8 Comments
Kaley
July 21, 2023I am 47 and I still selfharm. I especially do it when my partner criticizes me or gets angry with me. He told me I always find a way to make everything his fault. I criticize him all the time apparently. I hate myself more now than I ever did.
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July 16, 20230vlf4k
Lex
June 14, 2022Hello, I am 12 years old and I have been struggling for self harm for a couple of years now and also other mental health issues like suicidal thought. I just really need some help and someone who understands my situation as nobody in my family does even though they do their best to support me.
Rich
March 2, 2022Hi as a 50+ year old that started self-harming when I was 13 and didn’t stop until I was 35 I can honestly say it’s a long battle that I fight daily. I take 1 day at a time I’m open honest and have never been ashamed of my battle and try to talk openly about it. a few months back I gave in and hurt myself but I spoke to my wife and doctor afterward. It’s not easy but worth the effort and you will be surprised by the support out there.
Che
March 1, 2022Hi
I need help to stop self harming. It is affecting myself and my young daughter and don’t know what else to do. I have tried everything possible and done everything possible to stop but can’t. I am making my arm really sore and sometimes making it infection.
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March 1, 2018[…] Helping you […]
Wedge
April 8, 2015Hello Sapphire,
a lot of people struggle to ‘stop’. We think it’s a journey – sometimes a long journey.
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to ‘stop’, instead, learn different ways of coping. Do different things instead of hurting yourself. It won’t be the same, I know, but over time you can reduce the number of times you hurt yourself.
Try some of the ideas on our website, like the 15 minute rule, and consider joining our Support Forum.
sapphire
April 7, 2015hey i need help to try to stop self harm my self because i get worse. i’ve got mental illness – self harm and depression and anxiety and more problems. i was 13 year old i was started to hurt myself i am nearly 22 now, so i try everything to stop it – i take it too far. my mum and my family and my friends dont understand whats going on about my life and i always put a fake smile and mask on and i cant open up about how i feel inside :( and i got disablies and i got speech problems, i would like help about stopping self harm thanks.