Self-harm education Saturday:
Educating others about self harm, one post at a time.
Self-harm includes anything you do to intentionally injure yourself. Some of the more common ways include:
cutting or severely scratching your skin
burning or scalding yourself
hitting yourself or banging your head
punching things or throwing your body against walls and hard objects
sticking objects into your skin
intentionally preventing wounds from healing
swallowing poisonous substances or inappropriate objects
Self harm recovery projects:
The Butterfly Project:
when you feel like you want to cut, take a marker or pen and draw a butterfly on wherever the self-harm occurs.
name the butterfly after a loved one, or someone that really wants you to get better.
NO scrubbing the butterfly off.
if you cut before the butterfly is gone, it dies. if you don’t cut, it lives.
if you have more than one, cutting kills them all.
another person may draw them on you. these butterflies are extra special. take good care of them.
even if you don’t cut, feel free to draw a butterfly anyways, to show your support. if you do this, name it after someone you know that is suffering right now, and tell them. it could help.
The Paper Chain Project:
For every day you go without self harming or purging, add a colorful link to the paper chain
If you relapse, just add a white link to to the chain and carry on the chain without any disruption
Over time the paper chain will grow in length and you can see your progress, and see that even if you do relapse, the are still days you go without hurting yourself. The colorful links.
Over time and through your recovery watch the amount of colored links begin to increase, and the amount of white links begin to decrease.
If you feel like hurting yourself, look at the paper chain and realize just how far you’ve made it, and realise that if you’ve resisted before you can do it again
Journaling:
DELAY: delay giving in to the urge for a set amount of time. Write down this amount of time and set a timer.
DISTRACT: do an activity that will occupy your thoughts and use your physical energy. Write a list of things you could do.
DECIDE: after the set time period, decide how you’re going to respond to the urge. Write down: advantages, disadvantages, reasons you want to stop, life goals.
You can also try distracting your mind. Do something where you are able to focus you mind on and be physical at the same time whenever you feel the urge to cut coming on.
For example:
Exercise: yoga, Pilates zumba, dance, jogging, and if you have a gym membership go there.
Take a leisurely stroll through a park or even your neighborhood.
If you have a pet, try to teach them a trick.
Watch a crappy movie marathon, or have a marathon of your favorite show.
Take a nice relaxing bubble bath
read a book
listen to loud music and sing along to it and dance around if you have to
go out with friends, or call up your boyfriend and see if you can spend some time together (nothing special just hang out).
play video games
try tetris, a crossword puzzle, mind games
Coping skills for any addiction, self harm included:
Need to express pain and intense emotions
Paint, draw, or scribble on a big piece of paper with red ink or paint
Express your feelings in a journal
Compose a poem or song to say what you feel
Write down any negative feelings and then rip the paper up
Listen to music that expresses what you’re feeling
If you need to calm and soothe yourself
Take a bath or hot shower
Pet or cuddle with a dog or cat
Wrap yourself in a warm blanket
Massage your neck, hands, and feet
Listen to calming music
Color in a coloring book
Plant flowers
If you feel disconnected and numb
Call a friend (you don’t have to talk about self-harm)
Take a cold shower
Hold an ice cube in the crook of your arm or leg
Chew something with a very strong taste, like chili peppers, peppermint, or a grapefruit peel.
Go online to a self-help website, chat room, or message board
If you need to release tension or vent anger
Exercise vigorously—run, dance, jump rope, or hit a punching bag
Punch a cushion or mattress or scream into your pillow
Squeeze a stress ball or squish Play-Doh or clay
Rip something up (sheets of paper, a magazine)
Make some noise (play an instrument, bang on pots and pans)
Substitutes for the cutting sensation
Use a red felt tip pen to mark where you might usually cut
Rub ice across your skin where you might usually cut
Put rubber bands on wrists, arms, or legs and snap them instead of cutting or hitting
Cut an apple with your blades, scissors, knife, etc
First Aid:
For cuts:
Apply direct pressure to the area to stop the bleeding. If the cuts are on a limb, hold it above your heart.
If the cut is wide or deep, hold the sides of the injury together
Clean the area with warm water and soap
Apply an antibiotic ointment (such as Neosporin)
Apply a sterile bandage or wrap over the area
For burns:
Cool the area with low pressure cool running water or cool cloths for several minutes. Do not use ice, oil, or butter. Burned areas are weak and may become frostbitten easily. Oil or butter will trap the heat in.
Remove all jewelry and tight fitting clothing as soon as possible - the swelling may make it hard to remove later. If clothing is stuck to your burn, do not try to pull it off.
If you wish, treat with a topical water soluble burn cream to reduce pain. After 2-3 days, you can use aloe.
Do not pop blisters
Wear loose fitting clothing while healing
Call 911:
If a cut is spurting blood in time to your heart beat, you have hit an artery. Call 911 and do not remove pressure from the area.
If the cut is deep or over a joint
If you have lost sensation in the area of injury
If you continue to bleed heavily after taking the above steps
If you can see yellow fatty tissue or underlying muscle (will look like a slab of meat)
If it is hard to hold the sides of the cut together
If something is stuck in your wound/burn (in the case of something being in your cut, hold the sides together around the object and do not attempt to remove it)
You were burned using a chemical
How to respond when someone asks you about your self harm scars..
“I battle with sharks in my spare time”
“I was attacked by an evil cheese grater”
“IT’S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS WHO THE HELL ASKS WHY SOMEONE HAS A LOAD OF SCARS IT’S OBVIOUSLY GOING TO BE A TOUCHY SUBJECT YOU MORON”
“I’m slowly transforming into a zebra”
Helpful Links:
Feeling the need to self injure? Please take a look at these posts: 24 ways to avoid self injury & Alternatives to self harm.
Check out this support community for individuals who self harm recover your life.
Help Guide A site containing articles to help understand, help numbers, “tool kits”, and self help.
Understanding self injury is a text post that explains that self injury is an addiction and the different forms of self injury.
Mental Support Community A forum to talk about self harm and how it affects your life.
Here is a post about understanding self-injury, the reasons why it occurs and the forms it can take.
Here are some Alternatives For Self-Harm
Here are some instructions on how to make a Glitter Jar
Here are some Safety Plan printable wallet cards
Here are some instructions on how to make a Comfort Box
Here is a master post on coping with urges to self harm:
Alternatives for when you are feeling angry or restless
Alternatives to self harm
More self harm help/recovery links
How to care for cuts
How to care for burns
Helping to calm down: 1, 2, 3
Alternatives to self-harm
Natural antidepressants
How to fade and cover scars
What to say when someone sees
Helpful websites
Tips for stopping
Suicidal?
Friend self-harms?
Anxiety
How to tell someone
Hotlines
