How can I stop myself from cutting??

[molly691]

Around 3 months ago I started to self harm. I didn't know why I did it. I just did. Soon it became an addiction. I started cutting more and making cuts in more visible places like my arms and wrist. I'm still addicted now and the longest I have gone without cutting is 7 days. Which when you think about it, isn't that long.

Is there any way I can stop myself from cutting and being able to handle my triggers?

[bhanratty]

I started around the same time, well i started doing it seriously badly then anyways. There are three methods to stopping, none of which i use. 1 is to go cold turkey, just dont, sit there and cry and try not to think about it. Then there is method two which is basically to slowly reduce the amount that you do it. I was on three times a day and am now down to two ish. The final way is to find an alternative, such as ripping paper or screaming. Personally i think cold turkey would work the best for anyone because it causes immediate stoppage, it just takes the most will power.
The fact that you can go 7 days already shows determination, i cant go more tthan about 12 hours.
In conclusion either stop, or dont. Before you attempt to stop you need to first realise: why am i doing this? Why do i want to stop? And then you need to get the will to stop.

Hey! I'm sorry you're struggling with self-harm.

Reaching out here and asking for help on dealing with your triggers is pretty incredible. It shows that you're making the first step, which is choosing recovery. You should be proud of yourself! Also, I know 7 days may not seem like a lot in your eyes, but it's actually a great start if you're already addicted to self-harm.

Is there anyone in your life you can talk to about your struggles? Having support from those around you can be really helpful. This can be anyone, like your parents, family members, siblings, friend, a trusted teacher. Anyone you feel comfortable with and trust to talk to about this. Sharing your feelings and struggles can feel like a weight has been lifted and can be rather comforting. Aside from confiding in someone in your personal life, have you ever spoken to your school guidance counselor or a therapist? Therapy can be beneficial in learning how to cope in healthier ways and in learning about yourself in general.

The first step to dealing with triggers is being able to recognize them. Do you have a private journal or notebook? Writing down anything that triggers you would be helpful. In identifying your triggers, you can work on resolving in a healthy way instead of turning to self-harm. Take a look at the self-harm alternatives thread if you haven't already. It's a list of things you can do when you have urges. There's a lot of helpful things on the list, try a lot of the things when you have urges till you find ones that help you.

Try to put something else in place of self-harm that you can go to instead. Like, after a frustrating situation, you may turn to self-harm. Instead, have a "go-to" that distracts you and allows you to express yourself in a healthy way. Poetry for example. It's a really great creative outlet that can be distracting, but lets you get your feelings out in a creative way. Keeping a journal to simply write down your feelings and thoughts in can be really helpful too.

When you feel overwhelmed with urges, try going for a walk to clear your head till you feel calm again. Sometimes doing a jigsaw puzzle can help. One of those 1000 piece puzzles! It's bound to take awhile which will be more than enough time for urges to pass. To keep yourself from self-harming, try keeping your tools in a hard to reach place so you can't get to them so easily and throw away any sharp objects you normally keep with you. It'll take away the temptation.

Setting goals may be a good idea. You make it a week self-harm free, so try to go two weeks, if you reach that goal then try for three weeks and so on. You can set your own goals and set small ones to reach that first. You can even reward yourself with something you don't normally do once you reach a goal. Like a song or album you've wanted. Take small steps and be proud of yourself for the little achievements. Any urges resisted and everyday you go without self-harm is a victory. Even if you do relapse, you have to remember all the urges you did resist. Relapses are part of recovery. Don't let that hold you back!

You can do this. I know it's hard, but recovery from self-harm is possible. You're welcome to message me anytime if you need someone to talk to. I'd be happy to listen.

Stay strong. Hope this helped.

Hey

First of all 7 days without self harm is really good. I'm glad you realize what you are doing is dangerous and that you want to stop. That is the first step in the right direction. The first thing you have to do is find out what your triggers are. Once you do that you have to look at each trigger and decide why it triggers you so much. I would maybe get a note book and every time you find a new trigger right it down and then look at it more and decide why it is a trigger. This might help you learn more on why you cut. Here is a thread to alternatives for self harm. There is a lot of alternatives on that list so you should be able to find a couple that will work for you. Feel free to PM/VM me anytime you need to talk I'm always willing to listen