|
cutting
hi. erf.. i cut myself and i wanted to know if there is any thing to make u stop/get ur mind off of it?? i heard that snapping rubberbands help.. but it isn't working.. help
[ ]
Want to answer more questions in the Health & Fitness category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Mental health?
Wow, tough.
Yeah, I would try the rubberband snaping trick, or, you can always:
Deep breathing.
Relaxation techniques.
Call a friend, your therapist or a crisis line.
Try not be be alone (visit a friend, go shopping, etc.)
Take a hot bath.
Listen to music (soothing perhaps- Papa Roach or the Manics might not be a good idea!)
Go for a walk (Seems to be especially good for some when it's raining?!?)
Write in a journal
Write poetry- it'll be dark, but it'll be raw emotional, and that's good - it's a less harmful way of releasing things.
Wear an elastic around wrist and snap it when you have the urge to harm yourself.
If you tend to have decent runs of not SI-ing, then fail and do it, do a tally. Write 'days I self injured' in one colomn, and 'days I didn't' in the other. At the end of every day, draw a line in either colomn, depending on if you self injured or not that day. Over time, those tallys in the 'didn't SI' box will grow, making you feel better.
Some people find it helpful to draw red lines on themselves with washable markers instead of cutting themselves.
Hold ice cubes in your hands - the cold causes pain in your hands, but it is not dangerous or harmful (some people find it relieves the urge to harm themselves for that moment).
Punching a bed or a pillow (when nothing but a physical outlet for your anger and frustration will work), or any kind of sport- even if it's just pressups and situps in your own room- burns away the energy to harm.
Meditation (AKA self hypnotism if you want to call it that)
* Type One- Just sit down comfortably, eyes closed and take long, slow breaths - concentrating on the breath itself as it goes in and out and nothing else. After even eight or nine breaths, as long as you keep them slow, you can feel more relaxed. The more the better!
* Type Two- sit down comfortably, eyes closed and repeat to yourself a word which indicates something you want to have that you don't (emotions wise) or a state you want to be in- like 'happiness. happiness, happiness' or 'confidence, confidence, confidence'. The idea is that in time, you 'fool yourself' that you HAVE these things, and in doing so you DO have them because it's YOU that gives them to you in the first place!!
Scratch draw a picture on a thick piece of wood or use a screw driver and stab at the piece of wood. (can be another physical way to release your emotions without harming yourself.) If you don't think you can 'trust yourself' with a screwdriver please avoid this alternative.
Avoid temptation (i.e. avoiding the area in shops/ home where the razor blades are kept, etc.)
Try to find your own creative ways as outlets for emotions - writing, drawing, painting, etc.
Learn to confront others/making your own feelings known instead of keeping them inside, but pick your trustees carefully!
Go outside and scream and yell.
Take up a sport (a form of exercise can help you release tension, etc. - it doesn't have to be at a club or gym if you don't want; sport's sport wheverer and whenever you do it.)
Work with paint, clay, play-dough, etc. (the person who suggested this mentioned that they would make a big sculpture and do whatever they wanted to it. They said it was helpful to calm the urge to self-injure, plus it gave them some idea of what might be underlying the pain.
Draw a picture of what or who is making you angry.
Write a letter to the person who's making you feel this way (if there is one)- you don't ever have to send it; it may be best to burn it afterwards, but just writing it down helps work stuff out.
Instead of harming yourself, try massaging the area you want to harm with massage oils or creams, reminding yourself that you are special and you deserve to treat yourself and your body with love and respect.
Go to church or your place of worship- not necissarily an 'established' place of worship- the natural world, for example, is pretty spiritual- parks or a lake.
Wear a pipe cleaner or something that will fit on the places that you injure. One person did this as a way to remind herself that she could call someone instead of hurting herself and that she had other ways to cope.
Break, bury or throw away the object that you use to self-injure as a way to show that you have control over it.
Do some household chores (i.e. cleaning).
Do some cooking.
Try some sewing, crossstitch, etc.
Recite a poem, prayer or anything else familiar the comforts you, multiple times.
Write down all your positive points and why you do not deserve to be hurt. Keep it to refer to in the future.
Write in your journal why you want to hurt yourself and if you have hurt yourself, write down what caused it to happen so in the future you can prevent it from happenings - or find out what your triggers were.
Play some kind of musical instrument. Even if you don't really know how to play, picking out tunes is a way to concentrate and help get rid of the urge to harm yourself.
Yoga.
Allow yourself to cry. Getting the tears out can make you feel better. It allows the inside to release, as opposed to self abuse. Picture your "ickies" pouring out as you cry.
Take a shower.
Write down a word best associated with what you are feeling (i.e. horrible, sad, lonely, angry) and continue to write it down, over and over. Sometimes when you do that, the words looks silly etc., and it puts humour or a smile in your life.
Sing a song on what you are feeling. It's another way to get it outside. Shout if you feel, etc. Let the words just come to you.
Scribble on paper. Clutch the pen in your fist. It's a way to diffuse your emotions on to paper. (Get a few sheets so they don't tear.)
Take item you are self injurying with and use it against something else. For example, if you are using a razor blade, rip it across a towel. Sometimes seeing what "can" be done to an object can make a person think twice about using it on themselves. Can also give the feeling of "doing it"...the tangible aspect.
Make a list of reasons why you are going to stop cutting.
Tell yourself that you can't cut for another 5 minutes. If you make it 5 minutes then I tell yourself to wait another 5 minutes. Sometimes you might no longer feel like cutting after only 5 minutes.
Every time you get the urge, read the list to remind yourself why you shouldn't.
Also remember to put on that list that you do not deserve to hurt yourself. You are important and special and you do not deserve to be hurt.
Hit a punchbag - punchbags are goooood - or stree sponges.
Keep dangerous things out of your house/apartment.
Make a list of friends you can call. I do not do this because I do not have local friends that I can call. BUT, I know many people who find this list of friends to contact extremely helpful, even if they don't actually call anyone. Or make a list of helpline numbers in your area.
Focus on what is real and around you right then. There is no such thing as the past or the future- only the now!
Give yourself rewards, even if they're stupid, mundane little things like watching a TV show you like or eating a food you like - and indulge yourself in these things when you feel bad - makes you remember there are good things in life, however small.
Be aware of the world- say to yourself what you see. ie. The couch is green. The light is on. I can feel my shoe pinching my foot. This can sometimes be enough to ground you.
Make a contract with someone you care about and who cares about you. You don't have to 'know' them in the real world - internet friends are fine. Make sure you try to get in touch with them when you feel unsafe. (But of course don't get extra depressed, with internet friends, if they aren't around because they aren't online - that's why having phone numbers is better.)
Create an internal safe place where you can go. In a time when you feel safe and secure, create a room or a garden or any safe area inside yourself where you can retreat to and get away from external stresses. Add as many details as you can to make it real for you.
Get a warm drink and curl up in a warm place with a stuffed animal. Buy yourself a special stuffed toy if you do not already have one. Make yourself some tea or hot chocolate (or even coffee if the caffeine doesn't bother you) and curl up under a nice warm comforter or blanket with lots of pillows.
Put on a (happy) movie.
Post at a self injury bullitin board on the web. (Be careful to avoid triggery posts, but talk to people- it's totally anonymous, so just type how you feel- you might find some people who know what you're going through.)
Have a bath and finger paint with ketchup.
Try not to be to hard on yourself for feeling this way. Try not to beat yourself up inside by calling yourself names or expecting yourself to just "not feel this way" or to "snap out of it." This internal namecalling and self-verbal abuse will only make you feel worse.
Tell yourself how you feel now will not last forever. It is hard to remember that while you are in the midst of these feelings, but EVERYTHING changes. Just focus on you and what you need to do to get through these feelings as safely as you can.
Use a toothbrush instead of a razor.
Try something physical and violent, something not directed at a living thing, such as;
* Slash an empty plastic soda bottle or a piece of heavy cardboard or an old shirt or sock.
* Make a soft cloth doll to represent the things you are angry at. Cut and tear it instead of yourself.
* Flatten aluminum cans for recycling, seeing how fast you can go.
* Use a pillow to hit a wall, pillow-fight style.
* Rip up an old newspaper or phone book.
* On a sketch or photo of yourself, mark in red ink what you want to do.
* Cut and tear the picture.
* Throw ice into the bathtub or against a brick wall hard enough to shatter it.
* Break sticks.
Crank up the music and dance.
Stomp around in heavy shoes.
Curl up under a comforter with hot cocoa and a good book, babying yourself somehow. Do whatever makes you feel taken care of and comforted.
Use light sweet-smelling incense and listen to soothing music.
Make a tray of special treats and tuck yourself into bed with it and watch TV or read. Visit a friend.
Slap a tabletop hard with another object.
Clap hard.
Take a cold bath or immerse your arm/leg into icy water.
Play a difficult computer game.
Choose an object in the room. Examine it carefully and then write as detailed a description of it as you can. Include everything: size, weight, texture, shape, color, possible uses, feel, etc.
Choose a random object, like a paper clip, and try to list 30 different uses for it.
Pick a (safe) subject and research it on the web.
Take a small bottle of liquid red food coloring and warm it slightly by dropping it into a cup of hot water for a few minutes. Uncap the bottle and press its tip against the place you want to cut. Draw the bottle in a cutting motion while squeezing it slightly to let the food color trickle out.
Get a henna tattoo kit. You put the henna on as a paste and leave it overnight; the next day you can pick it off as you would a scab and it leaves an orange-red mark behind.
Read an insanely long list of alternatives to cutting- by the time you've finished, you probably won't have the energy to cut!!!
Good Luck!!
*Carrie
]
you probebly already know that cutting yourself isn't the best way to deal with your problems, i cut x's all over my arm and i'm looking at the big red scars that won't go away right now. i never did get help cuse i had no one to turn to, that might be how you feel too. if your going to keep cutting yourself just think of how much you'll regret having the scars later, like i do. i feel really awkward wearing a t-shirt because i always see someone looking at my arm, or in gym class my friend saw my arm one time and asked what the x's were for and i lied and told her it was pen. i don't know why i did it, and you probebly don't know why you do it either if your wondering how to stop. when you feel like cutting yourself stop and think of one good thing in your life and how much it/they means to you, it might help a little. xxo -*jeanine
]
Okay, I'm not going to tell you to stop or anything, because believe me, I've been in the same situation. You feel alone, and don't want to listen to what anyone else has to say about it. I can understand the rubberband snapping, but it still causes pain, and pain is something you can control. If you'd rather do something that won't cause you pain, then try writing. I did it. I actually wrote three notebooks full of poetry. Once my parents started reading them, and noticing my cuts, they sent me to get help. It's embarrassing to not be able to hang out with your friends because you have to go to your psyichiatrist instead of going to the mall for instance. I'm sure your family, and friends would miss you dearly if you died. But it is a proven fact that cutting is only to cause pain, it doesn't NORMALLY kill you. It's just a way to let out your emotions. Now, I'm not trying to tell you that you should hang yourself to die. Afterall, that wouldn't be giving you positive advice, at all. It would be the best if you talked to someone about this. It most definitely helped me. I don't know what exactly is going wrong, and is causing you to feel so negatively about yourself that causes you to cut your wrists, but hun, it should stop. How would you feel if say.. your parent or guardian died? Pretty upset, right? Okay.. Now imagine how they would feel... Their own child/grandchild/cousin, whatever the case. It isn't healthy. Consider putting yourself in their position. </3
]
just calm down and think about whats wrong cutting your self may sound like its the only way to go because i used to cut and you think that its the only pain you can controle well its not but it helps anyway so just get your mind off of it and do something els like punching a pellow or yelling in to it but dont cut its bad for you and it only makes your butieful skin look bad
hope i helped buy
]
Honestly i think getting help would be a good thing! Not nessesarly from a physiciatrist but maybe from a cousin, aunt or uncle, teacher or someone you trust! And if you arent into telling anybody maybe just try to find something that relaxes you. Anyhting that u can do is better than cutting yourself! Hope i helped! =]
]
First of all... I can't be telling you what to do but you SHOULD DEFINITELY STOP. To take your mind off of things...well if it's really bad, you should go to therapy. Or if you're embarrased you should keep a diary or notebook. You know, to let your feelings out.
HoPe I HeLpEd
~GoTyOuRbAcK~
]
i think that you shouldent cut yourself and if this helps you might wanna talk to someone about it or when you feel like cutting yourself you should do some of your favorite hobbies till the erge comes out then when ever it does come up to cut yourself just do something fun and it will proberly go away.<3 alex
]
I used to be depressed and cut myself too. it is hard to explain why people do it but I guess it gave me a sense of being able to have control in something in my life. I don't know how or why I stopped doing it. My friends would see it, my parents would see it but i just made up lies about it. And then after it healed I saw the scars from it and realized that no matter how bad life is at the moment...i don't want a reminder for the rest of my life
]
]
If you feel the urge to cut get a knife and start cutting into a block of wood. Make sure you're wearing sleeves or something and if you can put a rubber band around them so they won't go up. Just cut at the block of wood until you feel better and soon the urge should start to go away =c) Hope I helped!
rach3L
]
well maybe you could pinch yourself everytime you feel like doing it! i heard that it helps! hope this helps!
~alyssa
]
More Questions:<<< Previous Question
| Next Question >>>
|
|