Six Ways To Stop Self-Harming
Self-harm occurs when someone causes personal harm in an attempt to help cope with difficult or distressing thoughts and feelings. Remember that self-harm is not a suicide attempt nor a cry for attention. But whatever the reason behind it, it should be taken seriously,
If you have been harming yourself and you want to stop you can get help. The tips below will take time but with persistence and the right support recovery is possible. Here are some approaches to use:
Know you triggers
For starters, you need to be aware of the triggers that are likely to cause you to self-harm. Triggers can be people, places, situations, anniversaries, sensations, specific thoughts or feelings. Recognize when the urge is coming and where possible try to avoid those triggers. Make a commitment with yourself not to follow the urges but instead promise that you will do something else.
Find things to distract you
Distracting yourself from the urge to self-harm is a way of giving yourself more breathing space and reducing the intensity of the urge. It may take time to fully implement the change because you are learning new ways of dealing with the things that led you to self-harm. So you need to be patient with yourself. Make an advance plan of what you will do when you feel the urge. That means having a number of activities that you will engage in; some may work for you while others may not. That is okay. Choose the ones that you are comfortable with:
Listen to good soothing music
Take a walk, shower,
Talk to someone
Engage in hobbies that you enjoy such as cooking, cleaning, knitting, singing, cooking, dancing, reading
Try relaxation exercise like deep breathing, reflection and meditation
Replace the sensation
Do you notice that when you are trying to avoid something it just refuses to go away? In other words your mind becomes fixated on it making it hard to resist the urge. A way around this is to find sensations that are similar to self-harm but less harmful. Things like rubbing an ice cube across the skin gently, snapping a rubber band against the skin, hitting a punching bag, stomping the feet loudly or even clapping the hands can be a good distraction.
Express feelings
Sometimes the urge to self-harm is a way of releasing strong emotions. You may feel numb or overwhelmed by many different emotions that you have trouble expressing. Writing about how feel and naming that particular emotion helps you to deal with it. For example are you feeling angry, frustrated, infuriated or you are in a rage? Try to understand what caused it in the first place and how holding on to it will help you.
Journaling
Take a few minutes daily to write a journal. This will provide an outlet for those intense emotions that are bottled up inside of you as well as any triggers that may make you to feel bad. It is important to note that this is a way of expressing your feelings so there is no right or wrong way of doing it. Just write your thoughts and feeling as they come.
Self-care
One way to manage your emotions is through self-care. Some teenagers get stressed by their body image at this age. Taking good care of yourself by watching what you eat, exercising, sleeping well and being kind and compassionate to yourself will help improve your self-esteem. This will create a better sense of wellbeing making you feel happier, on the outside and inside
Get professional help
If you are unable to stop on your own, talk to a therapist. Getting professional help to overcome a problem is not a sign of weakness but of strength. Only a strong person realizes their need for help. Therapists are trained to help people identify their inner strengths that will help them to heal. You will use these inner strengths to cope with life's problems in a healthy way. Don’t suffer alone, there are people who care!!!