Self harm | behindtheborders

Self harm

Each individual's relationship with self harm is complex and will differ. There can be many reasons behind self harm such as childhood abuse, sexual assault, bullying, stress, low self esteem, family breakdown, dysfunctional relationships, mental ill health and financial worries.

Self harm is primarily a coping strategy and can provide a release from emotional distress and enable an individual to regain feelings of control. Self harm can be a form of self punishment for feelings of guilt. It can also be a way to physically express feelings and emotions when individuals struggle to communicate with others. It is therefore important that individuals that self harm are able to express these feelings, thoughts and emotions in other ways whenever possible.

Methods of self harm include -
cutting
burning
scratching
skin-picking
hair-pulling
hitting
interference with wound healing
any other method of inflicting damage on oneself

Other self damaging behaviors can include -
addiction to alcohol
addiction to drugs
risky Sexual Encounters
compulive over-eating - eating to soothe
compulsive Under-eating - anorexia
creating conflict intentionally

There are a number of professional treatments available if you talk to a doctor, counsellor or psychologist. Some of these include cognitive behavioural therapy, talk therapy and certain medications.

Self help techniques include -

Slash an empty plastic soda bottle or a piece of heavy cardboard or an old shirt or sock.

Snap your wrist with a rubber band.

Squeeze ice hard (this really hurts). (Note: putting ice on a spot you want to burn gives you a strong painful sensation and leaves a red mark afterward, kind of like burning would.)

Focus on how it feels to breathe. Notice the way your chest and stomach move with each breath.

Choose a random object, like a paper clip, and try to list 30 different uses for it.

Draw on yourself with a red felt-tip pen.

Draw on the areas you want to cut using ice that you've made by dropping six or seven drops of red food color into each of the ice-cube tray wells.

Another thing that helps sometimes is the fifteen-minute game. Tell yourself that if you still want to harm yourself in 15 minutes, you can. When the time is up, see if you can go another 15.

Don’t be put off if your attempt to give up self-harm doesn’t work the first time around. Different approaches, as well as different treatments, work for different people so be ready to experiment with what works for you.

Do's & Don't's of helping someone who self harms