I'm 14 and need help with my self harm?
Go see the therapist that your GP referred you to. That's really your best option. In the mean time, instead of focusing on not cutting, focus on other positive thing you might enjoy: going for a walk, reading, listening to music, daydreaming, writing, humming, singing, making crafts or building things, cleaning up your room, playing with pets, volunteering, or whatever else you can think of. Instead of trying to make yourself stop cutting immediately, make yourself do something positive each time you cut. If you cut your leg, make a quick drawing or scribble some words down or do a stupid dance. If you cut tomorrow morning, do something nice for yourself afterwards like going for a walk or sitting on the porch or eating a healthy meal. The main point is, don't focus on stopping self-harm. Instead, focus on incorporating positive things in your life. It might take months, but eventually those positives things will help overtake self-harm. Please do go see a mental health professional. Also, if there's the potential that you'll be severely harmed after one self-harm incident, the most positive thing you can do for yourself is call 911.
What should I do if I want to self-harm?
Aside from seeing a doctor, which I know can be very difficult and anxiety-inducing even when it's not about something as serious and personal as this, there are things you can do to keep yourself from self-harming. 1. The Butterfly Project: every time you want to self-harm, draw a butterfly on the place you want to self-harm. If you self-harm after drawing the butterfly, the butterfly dies. Try to keep your butterflies alive for as long as you can.2. Fataltotheflesh.com: May be triggering, so proceed with caution. Click and drag across the screen to create virtual "cuts" that bleed. 3. Snap a rubber band on your wrist. This isn't the best technique but it's a better option than cutting or burning. Don't do it enough to break skin.4. Talk to someone. If you don't have a professional to talk to (which you should look into finding a therapist if your thoughts are recurring) call a friend on the phone or meet them in person. Tell them what you want to do and why. Or just have them distract you from the self-harm.5. Art: Channel what emotions you have into art, instead of harming yourself. This could literally be any art form, music, drawing, painting, writing, etc.6. If you want to cut, paint red stripes wherever you want to self-harm. There's no pain, but you'll get the visual of self-harming, which helps some people.7. Look up alternatives on the Internet whenever you want to self-harm. There are lists upon lists of mindless websites you can use to distract yourself from self-harming (ex. the infinite Coke ahh.com's... Just keep adding h's for new websites.)Please avoid self-harming if you can. It's really not worth it.
I want to self harm again and I need help?
My parents have been going through a divorce for 7 months now and it has taken its toll on me in a negative way. I am 15 and female. 3 months ago, I got into self harming and cut myself twice. I told my 2 closest friends and my very close aunt after both times because I hated keeping it all in. She told my parents after the second time and they completely flipped out and are all worried about me still. I have been wanting to cut myself again for the past 3 months, but I haven't. I have come close and I need something to help me from doing it again because I don't want to hurt the people I love again or hurt myself for other's peoples issues. Please help me!!! And also, I would like to get therapy because a lot has happened to me the past year and I think I need help, but we seriously can't afford it so thats not gonna happen and I have tried to talk to my school guidance counselor, but that didn't help either.
How can I help my friend who's self-harming?
Self-harm is a symptom that can take many forms. But what to do depends on the situation. First, a caveat: You are a friend, not a caretaker. Being supportive and helpful is part of friendship, but try to keep in mind that you cannot bear the responsibility for the person alone. Being friends with someone who’s self-destructive can be exhausting, and you may need support yourself. Try to stay away from a downward spiral of increasing feelings of responsibility and guilt coupled with isolation. I’ve been there, on both sides, and it’s bad for everyone.But, in terms of what you can do, there’s the long-term and the short-term. Long-term, try to find out why they self-harm (e.g. depression? anxiety?) and try to get them to a professional. And just, in general, be a *friend*. If it’s depression, try to engage them in stuff, try to get them to take a walk with you and so on. Depression is a downward spiral itself and sometimes you need a bit of a push in the right direction from a friend.Self-harm is often a coping mechanism that frequently also turns into a kind of psychological addiction, Short-term, it depends on them. Talk to them about it sometime when they’re in (relatively) good condition.If they *want* to self-harm and don’t want to stop doing it, there’s not really much you can do about the symptom itself. Forcing the issue too much might risk harming your relationship without aiding the person at all.If they want to stop self-harming, but can’t do it alone, help them out in making the self-harm itself harder. If they cut themselves, get rid of their razor blades. If they starve themselves, be a bother about them eating. And so on.
Military and self harm scars? Help!?
Good Lord Bethany, you're wound up WAY too much over nothing. The military has waivers for convicted felons; a few scars without any history of mental problems or suicide attempts is nothing. Hell, I had more scars on my right hand/arm from putting my fist through a plate glass window trying to get at a customer when I was working at a gas station a year before I enlisted. I can't begin to tell you how many other scars from cuts/stitches I had also from other injuries. Military requirements are tough, but they're not Draconian either. Stay fit, out of trouble, stay away from sharp objects, and you'll be okay. Having said that, a little advice on your "lack" of Plan B. I never BS anyone, especially someone your age. If your heart is set on the military with no fallback option, you're setting yourself up for a major mental and life crash if for some reason you can't enlist, not to mention no plan for that little thing called a job and income (unless you plan on living with your parents the rest of your life). While you'll probably be okay, the list for disqualifications is long and detailed, and you cannot in any way know what recruiting conditions/requirements will be like when you're old enough to enlist. You could meet all of the enlistement requirements, get a top ASVAB score, and still not be accepted due to budget constraints, as an example. To be blunt, not having a backup plan is just plain irresponsible, and while I'd expect that out of most kids your age, for someone serious at your age about wanting to join the military, you'd better start making backup plans your life's passion, as things in the military rarely go the way you expect. Especially in the Marines. My point is, there are a many things that could happen in 4 years that could prevent you from enlisting that are beyond your control that you don't know about and as a result haven't considered and started planning for. But you'd better start soon; the world is full of examples of people who trained for years in some discipline hoping one day to be a professional, only to have their dreams derailed for an unforeseen circumstance of life. It happens every day, and while I'll pray it doesn't happen to you, you can't bet your future on one thing. It doesn't have to be an elaborate backup, but you should have something. Semper Fi.
How can you tell if a self harm cut needs stitches?
As a general rule: * If the wound is "gaping" ( that is, natural swelling isn't able to keep it shut)* If you can see the fat layer beneath the skin, or*If you cannot stop the bleeding with steady, hard pressure after 10-15 minutes, you need to seek medical attention.From the way this question is worded, I'm going to assume that you don't want to call attention to your self harm by seeing a medical professional for stitches. While I'm hesitant to enable you, I also know how awful it is to feel cornered by needing medical treatment, and therefore bringing attention to your self harm.So, in light of that - it is possible to close a wound yourself without the aid of a medical professional, without stitches. You'll need something called steri-strips, which are adhesive strips meant to hold wounds closed in place of stitches. You can find these anywhere that sells first aid, for under $10, and you should only need two or three small pieces. A box of steri-strips is invaluable to have, and it lasts a while. However, if the wound has been exposed to air for more than 24 hours, then it needs to heal naturally without being held shut, because at that point it's had too much exposure to bacteria, and closing the wound would trap that nasty shit inside. If the wound is less than 24 hours old, and you do not want to seek medical attention, this will be invaluable:How to Apply Steri Strips | eHow How to Clean a Wound I sincerely hope that you can find another way to cope with things. Self harm ruined my appearance, my relationships, and got me into psychiatric lockup for most of my teenage years that left me with some significant emotional issues. If there's anything I can do to help, if you need someone to listen or advice (both on wound care or general self harm issues) or a shoulder to cry on, please don't hesitate to shoot me a message. I'll be glad to help in any way I can, and my inbox is always open to you. From someone who's been there, I promise that things do get easier to deal with. Just be safe until they do. I'm thinking of you.
Self-harming relapse?
First, stay away from this guy because you don't need that kind of influence in your life. There will be so many great guys at college and beyond, so let this one go. Obviously you have a lot of pain inside, the cause of which only you can know or discover. I think the first thing you might want to focus on is allowing yourself to feel that pain and not try and replace it with physical pain. Also know that you are allowed to feel pain and just because there aren't scars doesn't mean it doesn't hurt you. You don't need to make scars to prove to the world that you are hurting. And your mother was wrong, you aren't just trying to get attention. You have a lot of emotional energy that you could use for constructive purposes, rather than destructive purposes. Try something creative and new - try a bunch of things and see what fits you. Right now, the reaction to the pain you are feeling is only hurting yourself more (I know you know that), and basically you are cutting off your nose to spite your face. I'm not sure if this would help, but while you are finding other ways to cope, perhaps you could try drawing on yourself with a red pen. It sounds stupid, but I actually know that for some people that helps. It's worth a shot, at least. If you really are having a hard time, talk to your school counselor. That's what they are there for, and you can get a great deal because you are a student. The stresses of adapting to a new life and schedule can bring out negative coping tactics, and they can, at the very least, help you talk out what is going on in your mind and help you realize exactly what it is that is hurting you.
I want to self harm but i'm scared because it hurts..?
I have sat down with a knife or razor pressed against my skin for a long time, i even made a very tiny slice. Please don't give me the 'Don't self harm, it's bad for you' crap. I know it's bad. But i need to. I can't talk to people about my problems, it makes it worse. Now please tell me how to cut myself with the least amount of pain felt. I really want to see the scars to remind me of my pain, to see the life as it runs from my wounds. But not actually feel physical pain because it already hurts too much on the inside
How to get rid of self harm scars fast?
Virgin coconut oil has the ability to heal wounds. When applied to the wound or burn, at regular intervals, coconut oil soothes and quickens the healing process and prevents scarring. Honey has the capacity to heal wounds naturally. Its anti-septic and anti-microbial qualities prevent inflammation and infection that may be caused by various germs. The anti-oxidants present in honey help in the rejuvenation of damaged skin, preventing the formation of an ugly scar. Banana pulp is another effective remedy for healing wounds as it reduces inflammation and soothes the skin. If the area affected is large, it is advisable to apply banana paste and cover the area with some gauze to quicken the healing process. Vitamin E is crucial for healing. Rubbing the affected area with it will prevent scarring or may gradually fade away an existing scar. Almond oil and olive oil are also beneficial as they have properties similar to those of vitamin E. Lemon juice is known for its natural bleaching quality. Applying a liberal layer of lemon juice to the affected area daily (half an hour before a bath) will gradually lead to the disappearance of the scar. Cucumber juice, tomato juice and potato juice also have the ability to lighten scars. A diet loaded with green leafy vegetables and fruits especially rich in vitamin E and vitamin C will accelerate the healing process with minimal scarring. However, the time taken for removal of the scar may range from a few days to years depending on the depth and nature of the wound. Resorting to scar removal remedies as soon as the injury takes place will ensure a speedy removal or lightening of the scar. Once the scar is formed completely, it is almost impossible to get rid of it.