Ciao lovelies! As you all may know, I care very much about
all of you and I never want any of you to be in pain, and I especially don’t want
any of you to think your only option is to self-harm. So I decided to make a
list of 5 things you can do instead of self-harm. Remember that every day clean
is another victory!
As someone who used to self-harm, I can guarantee that these
5 things are effective in taking away the urge to hurt yourself. If you are
feeling like hurting yourself or suicidal in any way I also urge you to seek
help in a trusted adult like a parent, teacher, or counselor so that you can
get proper help and get into recovery. If you’re already in recovery, first let
me say I am so proud of you and I know how hard it is to come this far. I am so
happy that you’re in recovery. Second, I know how hard it is to avoid relapsing
while in self-harm recovery, and this list will definitely help you to not
relapse.
#1- Ice Cubes
I know that sometimes the urge to self-harm comes from the
feeling of emotional numbness caused by depression. But instead of cutting or
hurting yourself in any way to feel something, try this trick.
Get an ice cube or something very cold from the freezer, and
hold it until you feel something. Repeat if you need to.
I know that many
therapists will also say to snap a rubber band on your wrist, but I don’t recommend
this as it can leave welts and can be just as addictive as self harm.
Along the lines of the ice cubes, try eating something very
cold, like ice pops or ice cream. Your mouth is very sensitive, so you will
definitely feel the cold.
#2- Red marker
Sometimes cutting/self-harming is a compulsion. To stop
this, draw red lines on your arm with a soft tip marker wherever you’d normally
hurt yourself. Repeat until you have satisfied the compulsion.
If you are worried about being judged, just wash off the red
marks when you’re done (I recommend using a washable red Crayola marker because
of this).
DO NOT USE A PEN! Pens are sharp! And can hurt you! DO NOT
USE A PEN!!! USE A SOFT TIPPED MARKER!
#3- Follow the HALT Checklist
Before hurting yourself, look at the HALT checklist. This
checklist is designed to show you why you might be feeling badly. So HALT and
see if you are-
H- Hungry?/Hydrated? Eat something small. If it’s a meal
time, eat a meal. Try to eat something healthy with mood boosting properties,
like a banana. Are you dehydrated? When was the last time you drank water? Take
a few sips or drink half a bottle.
A- Angry? Are you angry? Think of anything you
might be angry about. Try ranting to yourself for a little while. Draw an angry
picture in an angry color like red.
L- Lonely? Are you Lonely? When was the last time you talked
to someone? Call someone, go talk to a family member, even talk to a pet. Talk.
Get some interaction.
T- Tired? Are you tired? When was the last time you slept? Take
a 30 minute nap if you’re not sure.
#4- Take a Walk
Sometimes you might be feeling restless, and mis-attribute it
to sadness. I actually found that going on a brisk walk outside makes me feel a
lot better, for some reason. I’m not sure why this works, but maybe it’s
something to do with getting some vitamin D? It’s still nice, and makes me feel
better.
#5- Destroy Something
Have a pile of things you can safely destroy, like old
school papers you can rip apart. Sometimes the act of ripping paper to shreds
can just cause so much relief and take away so much stress!
Please, make sure to take care of yourself. I don’t want any
of you to ever feel the need to self-harm. Each and every one of you is
beautiful, and deserves to live and be happy.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, please talk to a
trusted adult.
See you all tomorrow! I love you all!
2 Comments
Hey! First I do want to say I really love ypur blog and I am happy to see you posting about ways to prevent self-harming, however, ice cubes are not the best idea to use. They can cause ice burns, which are very painful. Please keep up the good work!
ReplyDelete~A former self-harmer
Thank you! I definitely don't reccomend anyone use the ice one for extended periods! However I think it would be relatively harmless in short times. I also very highly reccomend the ice pops idea, so that the user could prevent any injury! But thank you so much for your comment! ❤️ Stay strong and have a lovely day! ❤️😊💕
DeleteType your thoughts here!