Help self-harm urges

[scorpiooo2]

Does anybody have any tips on how to control urges to self-harm. Ive tried many things and I just can't seem to help myself anymore. I'm hoping maybe someone else would be able to help?

 

[EmptySteph62]

How do you feel about taking up a sport or going to the gym? Working out can make you hurt but it's good for you and helps you become stronger and releases endorphins. I took up boxing when I was trying to quit cutting and it definitely helps me.
Then again I know for alot if people this wouldn't work for them, so it's a personal preference I guess.

 

[stellabelle]

Does anybody have any tips on how to control urges to self-harm. Ive tried many things and I just can't seem to help myself anymore. I'm hoping maybe someone else would be able to help?

It's hard and they never really go away, it haunts now and again st least for me.
You could try getting tattoos instead, something beautiful comes of it. Try to stay busy. Clean your house, work with your hands, just do something to try and occupy yourself. You could draw it on paper but not do it. Draw on yourself with a red pen. Hell, hot showers, baths, I've tried it all.

 

[First loss]

I am probably missing the point but...

I was cutting myself on the regular because it felt calming to me. I lost all urge to cut myself after I started smoking because I had another way to calm myself. Soo... try finding something to calm you down better then cutting.

 

[sadgirl2002]

Keeping yourself occupied is very important if you want to fight the urge to cut yourself.

 

[disableddoll]

you should try pressing ice against the places you'd want to harm

 

[Saga]

i dont stop the urges...i smoke and then cry and then cut...most recently i stopped eating 3x a day and if i do its only partial...makes me think of my stomach pain than cutting..this is what i eat in a day and then i think of food then everything turns blurry

 

[Futility]

If you grab an ice cube and hold it in your hand or anywhere else for as long as you can stand it, or make a bucket or footbath of ice water, then stick your hands and/or feet in it, it'll hurt you for a while without leaving marks, without leaving permanent damage to your skin.

Eating a hot chili pepper activates your pain response, get a pepper that you can barely stand and chew on it, have some pineapple, kiwifruit and/or milk ready to curb the hotness when you have had enough. Pineapple will neutralize the pepper.

Buy a short leather flogger that's long enough to reach your back, whip yourself silly, you can do it hard enough to make bruises, but actually slicing the skin open is more difficult unless you're using a bull whip for an example. A flogger has multiple strands that spread out and doesn't focus the damage in a single area, making it better for damage control.

Go see a friend or take your dog out for a walk, being out and about makes it more difficult to hurt yourself, sometimes that type of distraction is enough.

Get some Japanese massage candles. They're a type of candle that burns at a lower temperature than regular candles, meaning it will not leave you with nasty burns, but you will still hurt enough to satisfy the urges a little bit. Pro tip, do not leave the candles out in the sun or in a window, they'll melt and fall over.

I'm sorry you are having problems with urges, it never truly leaves the back of your mind, but from experience, I find that keeping myself busy and deliberately distracting myself by going to clubs and allowing others or myself to hurt me within safe walls, is actually a healthier way of dealing with it.

I hope you can use my tips while trying to quit.
And remember, relapse is not the end of the world, it will happen, but over time you will get better at controlling it, do not judge yourself because you're doing your best and that's all you can ask of yourself.

Lots of hugs.

 

[aviator8]

vaping or nicotine stopped it for me...for a while

 

[Frank]

I got really into martial arts which is legit pain but also excercise and less frowned upon. The lack of fear for pain really helps in martial arts so win win.

 

[Lara Francis]

I think I have tried so many things to stop but in times of crisis it remains a go to coping mechanism.
In a similar thread, a member had suggested making ice cubes containing red food colouring. Its something I had not heard of but can see how holding the cubes would cause pain and the red would resemble blood. I have not tried it myself yet.

 

[GinaIsReady]

I think I have tried so many things to stop but in times of crisis it remains a go to coping mechanism.
In a similar thread, a member had suggested making ice cubes containing red food colouring. Its something I had not heard of but can see how holding the cubes would cause pain and the red would resemble blood. I have not tried it myself yet.

Cool idea. What do you think? Will you try it?

I use ice a lot. It is amazing how it changes my mindset and 'chills' me out.

 

[Lara Francis]

Hi @GinaIsReady
I will definitely try it
I am a person that needs to see blood as well as experience the pain.
I have to refrain from self harm atm as I am staying with a friend and won't do it here out of respect.

 

[scorpiooo2]

I think I have tried so many things to stop but in times of crisis it remains a go to coping mechanism.
In a similar thread, a member had suggested making ice cubes containing red food colouring. Its something I had not heard of but can see how holding the cubes would cause pain and the red would resemble blood. I have not tried it myself yet.

This sounds like a really good idea, I do also like to see the blood. I'm not sure if that's why I do it but I sure will try this out.

 

[Lara Francis]

This sounds like a really good idea, I do also like to see the blood. I'm not sure if that's why I do it but I sure will try this out.

Let me know what you think x

 

[aviator8]

well I am self harming again so I guess there is no point fighting it it will haunt you until you are no longer depressed or something

 

[Futility]

I just dug through to find this thread again.

I discovered something else, you can get a tattoo artist to dry-line on you, or get your own tattoo gun.
Dry lining is when you don't put ink in the machine, you will feel the pain and you won't end up with a tattoo you don't want.

Of course it won't bleed a whole lot, no more than a usual tattoo, but it also won't leave horrible scars behind.
Just please make sure to do it safely, disinfect the area.
With needles you run the risk of infection because you can trap dirt and bacteria under your skin.

Use this within reason and only if the urges become unbearable while trying to quit though.

 

[Sweet emotion]

Does anybody have any tips on how to control urges to self-harm. Ive tried many things and I just can't seem to help myself anymore. I'm hoping maybe someone else would be able to help?

How do you feel about seeing a therapist about this problem? I'm sure they could help you much better than any of us could. I'm not familiar at all with self harm.

 

[Ruffian]

I am probably missing the point but...

I was cutting myself on the regular because it felt calming to me. I lost all urge to cut myself after I started smoking because I had another way to calm myself. Soo... try finding something to calm you down better then cutting.

I find smoking is a minor self harm. I didn't ever cut, but I do hit myself and do other strange things I don't realize I'm doing and then notice bruises. This is new and I don't like it. Addictions always been my way of self-harm. I'm trying to stop again and then I noticed I was hurting myself.

 

[jacob6767]

I use red paint markers and draw on myself.

 

[RainAndSadness]

I'm not sure if this solution applies to your situation but I have benzos for these desperate moments. So instead of self-harming, when I feel severe mental pain, I take a benzo and it helps me to calm down. A psychiatrist prescribed them to me after I explained the urge to self-harm when I'm miserable. My self-harm method was burning.

 

[FullCircle]

For me, the only thing that works is to go somewhere where I can't self harm. A friend house, a store, the park...anywhere public.

 

[sammii]

I've tried the ice thing, elastic band on the wrist, drawing on myself but none of those worked for me. I usually just need to distract myself in some way to take my mind off it.

 

[Nanami]

I had to stop cutting when I was sectioned in a ward.
What I did instead was taking a marker and started drawing temporary tattoos on my arm.
They'd wash off in a day or two and then I could just try a different design. It didn't feel anywhere near as good as cutting but it was at least something.

 

[snorli]

I shave my head (I'm female so it's a bit unusual). It's simultaneously (emotionally) painful and soothing, self harm and self care at the same time. Like the look too.

Please don't do this on a whim if you value your long hair. Growing it back is a pain .

 

[Sadwind]

I shave my head (I'm female so it's a bit unusual). It's simultaneously (emotionally) painful and soothing, self harm and self care at the same time. Like the look too.

Please don't do this on a whim if you value your long hair. Growing it back is a pain .

I just shaved my head a couple weeks ago and man it was awesome. It's a really freeing experience and it was like the biggest "fuck you" type self expression i could have done. I think that i want to self harm but I do it more emotionally. Expression of emotions is really difficult for me and cutting my hair off as close the the scalp as i could get it was so cathartic.

I'm too depressed for hair, anyway. I couldn't take care of it. I got rid of it to take care of myself more. I roll out of bed and I'm just myself. It's fucking cool.