Question
Cutting....?
i cut. i stopped for about years and now its haunting me again. i dont know how to stop and i cant seek help because i dont want my mom to find out again. she basically almost killed herself the last time she found out. i also need ways to hide the cuts on my arms. the last thing i need is someone seeing it.
Answer
If you feel the urge to injure yourself, below is a list of suggestions that might help you to overcome that urge. Please be advised that not all of these suggestions will be helpful to everyone. What is helpful to one person, may not be helpful to someone else. These suggestions have been provided by individuals who self injured and what they found helpful to them. If you feel that a certain suggestion may in fact cause you to want to self injure even more, do NOT use that suggestion. Find ones that are helpful for you. Again, these are only suggestions and may not be helpful to everyone. brbrdeep breathing brrelaxation techniques brcall a friend, your therapist or a crisis line brtry not be be alone visit a friend, go shopping, etc. brtake a hot bath brlisten to music brgo for a walk brwrite in a journal brwear an elastic around wrist and snap it when you have the urge to harm yourself brsome people find it helpful to draw red lines on themselves with washable markers instead of cutting themselves brhold ice cubes in your hands the cold causes pain in your hands, but it is not dangerous or harmful some people find it relieves the urge to harm themselves for that moment brpunching a bed or a pillow when nothing but a physical outlet for your anger and frustration will work. brscratch draw a picture on a thick piece of wood or use a screw driver and stab at the piece of wood. can be another physical way to release your emotions without harming yourself. bravoid temptation i.e. avoiding the area in CVS where the razor blades are kept, etc. brtry to find your own creative ways as outlets for emotions. brlearn to confront othersmaking your own feelings known instead of keeping them inside brgo outside and scream and yell brtake up a sport a form of exercise can help you release tension, etc. brwork with paint, clay, playdoo, etc. the person who suggested this mentioned that they would make a big sculpture and do whatever they wanted to it. They said it was helpful to calm the urge to selfinjure, plus it gave them some idea of what might be underlying the pain. brdraw a picture of what or who is making you angry brinstead of harming yourself, try massaging the area you want to harm with massage oils or creams, reminding yourself that you are special and you deserve to treat yourself and your body with love and respect brgo to church or your place of worship brwear a pipe cleaner or something that will fit on the places that you injure. One person did this as a way to remind herself that she could call someone instead of hurting herself and that she had other ways to cope. brbreak the object that you use to selfinjure as a way to show that you have control over it. brwrite a letter to the persons that have hurt you and express how they made you feel. Theses letters do not have to be in perfect form and you do not have to please anyone but yourself. You do not have to give these letters to the people, but it is a great way to release the feelings that you are carrying within. After you write the letters, you can decide then what to do with them. Some people find destroying the letters help i.e. tear them up, throw them in a lake, etc. brdo some household chores i.e. cleaning brdo some cooking brtry some sewing, crossstitch, etc. brrecite a poem, prayer or anything else familiar the comforts you multiple times brwrite down all your positive points and why you do not deserve to be hurt brwrite in your journal why you want to hurt yourself and if you have hurt yourself, write down what caused it to happen so in the future you can prevent it from happenings or find out what your triggers were brPlay some kind of musical instrument. Even if you dont really know how to play, picking out tunes is a way to concentrate and help get rid of the urge to harm yourself. bryoga brallow yourself to cry. Getting the tears out can make you feel better. It allows the inside to release, as opposed to self abuse. Picture your quotickiesquot pouring out as you cry. brTake a shower brwrite down a word best associated with what you are feeling i.e. horrible, sad, lonely, angry and continue to write it down, over and over. Sometimes when you do that, the words looks silly etc., and it puts humor or a smile in your life. brsing a song on what you are feeling. Its another way to get it outside. Shout if you are made, etc. Let the words just come to you. brScribble on paper. Clutch the pen in your fist. Its a way to diffuse it on to paper. Get a few sheets so they dont tear. brTake item you are self injurying with and use it against something else. For example, if you are using a razor blade, rip it across a towel. Sometimes seeing what quotcanquot be done to an object can make a person think twice about using it on themselves. Can also give the feeling of quotdoing itquot...the tangible aspect. brMake a list of reasons why you are going to stop cutting. Every time you get the urge, read the list to remind yourself why you shouldnt. Also remember to put on that list that you do not deserve to hurt yourself. You are important and special and you do not deserve to be hurt.
