| Why Did I Self-Harm Again? | Addiction | Why Did I Self-Harm Again? | <div class="ExternalClass11E1F6E23694477893F75ABA2FB69A18"><p><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"times new roman", serif;">Hello, I have a
history of self harm. For the past 6-7 months, I haven't done anything, But in
a moment of extreme emotion, I harmed myself again without even thinking. I
feel super bad for doing this because I thought that I was getting better. Do
y'all have any advice for me? </span><br><br></p></div> | <div class="ExternalClass222C1884707445C2A5692E0137494570"><p>No one is perfect – not one friend, not one doctor, not one teacher, not one counselor, not you. You should never be expected to be perfect. We do know that you are strong though. It is the strong that reach out and know when it is time to ask for help. You did that, and you should feel proud for doing so. </p><p>Picking up cutting again will truly solve nothing. You have discovered this, that is why you have been working so hard the past half of the year right?<br></p><p>When you hold off on the cutting, you will allow yourself to "feel" the real emotions. Is that hard? Yes! But in order to heal, you have to allow those emotions to come to the surface and not get shut back inside of your mind by the temporary relief of cutting. Please know that if you find yourself having thoughts of wanting to injure yourself again, you can call the hotline. Call <strong>before</strong> you do anything to harm yourself. In fact, monitor your emotions. Call when you start to feel anxious or stressed <strong>before</strong> you even get to the point of having self-harm thoughts. We talk to teens about stress and anxiety too. You do not have to wait to the point of feeling real desperate to talk to us. Call us and talk through your stress, we can help you make a plan to deal with whatever is bothering you.<br></p><p>Right now you might be upset with yourself, but us this as motivation to take action. Get rid of any cutting tools. Write out a <a href="/Pages/tip-your-safety.aspx">safety plan</a> for yourself. Think about what you worked on the past year and how that helped for 6 months. You might even try a few new things, here are a tips that you might find helpful:<br></p><ul><li><a href="/Pages/tip-being-resilient.aspx">Being Resilient</a><br></li><li><a href="/Pages/tip-control-your-urges.aspx">Controlling Your Urges</a><br></li><li><a href="/Pages/Self-Injury-Learning-To-Ride-The-Wave.aspx?Topic=Self-Injury">Self Injury: Learning To Ride The Wave</a><br></li></ul><p>Please keep safe and reach out again. There are people who care. Learn from this. Remind yourself that you do not like how you feel after sliding backwards.<br></p><p>Stay strong,<br></p><p>Laura, Crisis Counselor<br></p></div> | 17 | | |
