[Palmolive]

Hey there,

I am really glad that you have come here to us for support and advice. That's definitely a positive step in the right direction.

As hard as it may be to admit it, I think you do have a problem. Why? Because you are deliberately hurting yourself and in reality you shouldn't be doing that. There must be something which is making you feel really bad to make you want to harm yourself. Pain isn't a nice thing but you're doing it to you. I want to make sure you know that you don't deserve to hurt anymore than you already do. The emotional pain is enough and you don't need to be hurting anymore than that.

Firstly I am going to suggest you try and use distractions I know sometimes it can be really hard to get yourself to try using distractions because in a way you want to self harm but you have to force yourself to use them because you are the one in control. Not every single distraction out there will help you but there will be ones which do help so its very important that when you come across something which doesn't help that you don't let it step you back and stop trying.

I also think you finding a way of expressing your thoughts and emotions might be a good idea. This might be you doing art like painting or making a collage. I know that helps me sometimes. Or perhaps you're into sport and you might be able to find something like kick boxing, dancing, running a good release. Even things like writing poems, keeping a diary or writing lyrics can help. Its just about finding what works for you so don't be afraid to experiment.

And lastly I think you need to reach out to someone. And I honestly know how scary this can be and how anxious you can get to even think about admitting how you are feeling to someone but people can honestly help you to stop feeling this way and help you enjoy your life again with out self harm. Who can you go to? A friend, a family member, a teacher, a school nurse/counselor or your doctor. These are all people who can and will help you. They all care about you and want you to feel better but they can only help you if you let them in. You could also try contacting a helpline. Again these people are in this job because they want to help people like yourself. Don't be afraid to reach out, you never ever have to be alone.

I know things are rough right now but you can beat this. It won't always be like this, things can and will get better.

Stay strong,
Jessie.