Self Harm
On this page, you will find some tools to help you learn more about self-harm and how to manage it. Whether you are a self-harmer or you are concerned about someone who self-harms, this page is for you. Self-harm is when somebody intentionally damages or injures their own body. It’s usually a way of coping with or expressing overwhelming emotional distress. Self-harm is often the outward expression of other mental health issues. However, the intention is more often to punish themselves, express their distress or relieve unbearable tension. Sometimes the reason is a mixture of both.
Self-harm can also be a cry for help.
If you are self-harming you may also suffer from other mental health issues. Be sure to check out all of the pages on this site in order to get the most out of it as possible. If you feel suicidal, and you live in the UK, you can go straight to your nearest A&E department within your local hospital to be assessed by the on-duty psychiatrist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Bring Me Back is a song that I wrote about healing and restoration. It might help you to take a listen as you scroll through this section.
Abi’s Story
Abi began self-harming from a young age. Watch her story below to see how she was able to overcome the urge to cut.
Top 10 tips to combat self-harm
1. Tell someone you love and trust that you are self-harming.
2. Write a list of distractions so that when you have the urge to hurt, you can choose a positive thing instead.
3. Try to express any anger you feel by getting involved in a contact sport like maybe rugby, boxing or basketball.
4. Bake something and beat the dough.
5. Wear an elastic band or bobble around your wrist and ping it against your skin to feel pain but without any consequences.
6. Write your thoughts and feelings in a journal or notebook. If you are specifically angry at someone write a letter to them, but do not send it. Once you have finished, rip it up, burn it, release the anger you feel.
7. Draw in red pen Some people find drawing in red pen on their skin helps.
8. Practicing a mindfulness technique, as featured in the video above, can help to calm you.
9. Get a colouring book. Expressing yourself like this can help relieve tension.
10. Get out of the situation, go for a walk, get some fresh air.
11. Hold ice cubes You may find it helpful to hold some frozen ice cubes in your fist until they melt. It will hurt, but the pain will not damage you and could release some of your tension
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