TeenHelp - Is it or is it not?

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Is it or is it not?

So it’s been a good while since I’ve last SH, but lately I have missed the feeling of self harming. I’m currently not in the greatest position mental health wise and I’ve sort of missed self harming. I kinda do low key crave it.

Is it weird to miss the feeling of SH?

Re: Is it or is it not?

I'm proud of you for not self harming in a while!

I don't think it's weird to miss the feeling of self harming. Self harm gets addictive because it releases endorphins and other chemicals and it is a temporary relief from whatever we are facing. Some people crave self harm even years after they have stopped self harming, but of course that doesn't mean they have to act on it.

I'm sorry to hear that you're not in the best space mentally right now. Have you seen our alternatives section, where it gives you alternatives based on what you're feeling at the time? One thing that has helped friends of mine is putting your wrist under some really cold water, almost jolting your system and regulating you again. I've also heard of physical grounding helping, such as by focusing on one item and really noticing the details of it. How does the item feel in your hand? What does it look like (shape, colors, etc)? Does it make any noise? Can you do anything with the object? There's also the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 technique where you list 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. There are other types of grounding activities that you can find on Google as well.

If you ever need to talk, feel free to PM me! Even if I don't answer right away I'll do my best to get back to you as soon as I can.

Re: Is it or is it not?

I think it's perfectly normal to miss something that was a huge part of your life at one point — whether that's a good or bad thing.

Do you have anything to help get your mind off wanting to self-harm? Could you put on your favorite TV show or movie? Or ask a friend if you want to hang out, go see a movie, grab a bite to eat, etc.

But, if you do end up self-harming again, that's fine. It doesn't mean you've failed; it means you've slipped up. What matters is that you're able to get back on your feet again and carry on afterwards.

I would suggest reaching out to your friends for support as well during this time. If you have a therapist, take advantage of your sessions with them to talk about this and how to work through it.

Wishing you the best of luck. :hug:

Feel free to reach out again if you need to. :)

Re: Is it or is it not?

Hi,

I am so sorry that you are having a hard time with this right now and I hope that you will be okay soon. When we self harm, everyone does this for a different reason and after a while you are thinking about this even though you haven't self harmed in a while. Nothing is wrong with you, you have done a wonderful job with this. When you have the feeling to self harm try to find something to help you get your mind off of this for a while, going for a walk around your house or reading a book for a while or drawing or painting or writing or calling someone or doing something else that you enjoy doing and hopefully this can help pick you up for a while and you start to feel better. I hope that you will be okay soon.