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Edit avatar · 10:34 PM

Hi, Caitlin.

I'm sorry that you're struggling with self-harm. As Frankie said, it can become an addiction easily. When you're faced with tough things and emotions in your life, self-harm becomes the thing you go to for relief. Therefore become dependent on it, which drowns out healthier coping mechanisms. Plus, a lot of people find that they begin needing it more and more.

You don't have to answer this question if you don't feel comfortable saying, but is it okay if I ask why you self-harm? You're welcome to talk about it if you'd like. Speaking of, have you told anyone in your life about your struggles? I encourage you to reach out to someone. Even though it may seem scary (understandably so), opening up and having support from those in your life could turn out to be really helpful for you.

Stopping self-harming is easier said than done. But with time and effort, you can certainly recover from it. You're strong enough, so don't doubt that. I suggest checking out the self-harm alternatives thread that Cassiopeia linked. There's lists of things you can do on there when you have urges, or feel angry, sad, restless etc. Try out different things on the list till you find some that work. Then hopefully it'll help you cope through urges easier. Her idea of keeping tools you self-harm with in a hard to reach place could be rather helpful too! Removing yourself from any situation where you feel sad, frustrated and/or overwhelmed, going out for a walk may prevent you from self-harming also.

Expressing yourself in healthy ways is the best thing to do in recovery from self-harm. For a lot of people, the want to self-harm stems from not being able to get a release from their emotions anywhere else. Getting your emotions out in creative ways can be really beneficial. Such as poetry, song-writing or even learning a musical instrument. Crafts, painting and drawing can be helpful along with being fun/distracting. Keeping a journal to write down your thoughts/feelings in would be a good idea as well. Being able to get your thoughts out on paper can be a relief. Basically, along with hobbies and things you enjoy, healthy outlets are important too.

Relapses will most likely happen as it's a part of recovery. The important thing is to focus on how much progress you've made. And keep pushing forward. For example, if you go two weeks free then relapse, set a goal to make it further like three weeks and so on. Over time it should become a lot easier to cope with urges and difficulty you face. Eventually, you can be free from self-harm so don't give up.

Hope this helped. Remember that you're welcome to receive support here anytime. You aren't alone in this. You can also message me if you'd like someone to talk, I never mind listening.

I understand it's hard, but recovery's possible and you don't have to face things alone. TH is happy to be of support. Stay strong.