To those of you who self harm:
First of all, hi there! Nice top!
Secondly, if you feel the need to self harm, you should know how to treat/care for your wounds. So that’s what I’m going to be elaborating on.
About cutting/the safer places to cut/what to use when cutting
First off, cutting, one of the more popular forms of self harm.
Cutting can be really very dangerous, a lot of us already know that, to make it less dangerous however, if you’re cutting your arms/wrists, cut sideways rather than longways up your arm.
Something sharp but not razor sharp is best to use if you want the scars to fade, but don’t use something dull either, that rips through the skin rather than cutting and can leave jagged scars.
You can use something sharper if you want but try not to press, refraining from that might be difficult though. (That’s why I find using something less sharp is better, more pressure, is more mentally satisfying for some people)
When cutting, go for the meatier parts of your body. The tops of your thighs, the inside side of your arms, etc. It will help prevent serious bleeding.
Bleeding can get pretty serious, especially with razors and sharper knives, if you start bleeding and are worrying it won’t stop, or the bleeding just isn’t convenient, here’s how to stop it.
Bleeding a little? hold a washcloth/t-shirt on there, just make sure it’s clean and doesn’t have extra lint, anything that’s stuck on the fabric will absolutely stick to the wound.
Bleeding a lot? First, put a washcloth on there, then go look for some cornstarch. Yep, cornstarch, used for lots of things, around here, it comes in a yellow box.
Got it? Now take the washcloth off, put some cornstarch in your hand and rub it right on the wound, it shouldn’t really hurt. Okay, your cornstarch should be getting all clumpy with blood, add some more, cake it on there, it won’t hurt you, let it sit and once it stops getting clumpy with blood you can wipe it off.
You might want to wash your hands after, also wipe down the counter/floor because cornstarch is pretty messy.
Treating wounds has been a regular thing in my family for a long time, myself along with both of my siblings and my father are quite accident prone.
If your cut is deep, you want to wash it. That’s right, you’ve gotta wash that sucker. With soap. A mild soap will do just fine, or even just warm water if you’re thorough.
Next, you want to get some bandages, antibiotic ointment, and if you really wanna step it up, you can pour rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide over it after you’ve finished washing it.
If you do pour one or the other, wipe down with a wash cloth before you bandage it.
Bandaging is easy, pack your cut with antibiotic ointment, then put your bandage on.
If your cut is really deep, you want to wash it and when you go to bandage it, squeeze the sides together so it looks like a line rather than a cut, then put the bandage on. It will heal much better that way.
Burns and how to soothe them.
Okay, burns, if the skin has been burnt off, you want to hold a cold washcloth on it, that’s probably going to sting. You can also run cold water on it for a bit. No ice though, that makes it sting afterwards.
If there are blisters, do not break them. If they break on their own, clean the burn (gently) with your cold, damp washcloth, then (gently) put some antibiotic ointment on there and cover it (very very gently) with a bandage that won’t stick. Medical gauze works but make sure it DOES NOT STICK. That’s hell to get off and can be very painful.
If you have anything tight on the burned area, (rings, bracelets, etc) you’ll want to take them off just in case the area swells.
After it’s not an open wound anymore, lotion can help soothe it.
There’s not much you can do for bruising, sadly.
If it’s quite painful, you can hold something cool on the area, Ibuprofen/Tylenol can be your best friend. Don’t get used to taking it all the time though, it can be harmful to your liver if taken regularly for long periods of time.
Since I don’t dabble in makeup or cover ups, have a few links!
How to Cover Scars, Stretch Marks, Varicose Veins, Tattoos, Bruises, Birthmarks!Â
How To Conceal A Bruise ♡Â
How to Cover Tattoos, Bruises, & Birthmarks!Â
There are all kinds of alternatives, you could probably google some but there’s no saying how healthy these alternatives would be.
You can snap rubber bands/hair ties against your arms, keep them on your wrists and pull them back and just let go, it stings.
Pinching, pinch at the sensitive bits on your arms, thighs, neck even, just don’t grab tiny bits of skin or you risk bruising.
I know people always suggest ice, but ice can damage the skin and it can be quite difficult to explain why you have frost bite in the middle of summer.
Just generally distract yourself, do something busy, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, doodle on a piece of paper, or better yet, color with crayons! Break the crayons, crunch them in your hand, it feels nice.
If you don’t have bandages etc
Okay, there will be cases in which you won’t have access to bandages, in that case, duct tape/masking tape/electrical tape/scotch tape and toilet paper/a bit of clean cloth will work.
Put the tape around the edges of your cloth/toilet paper and put it on just like you would a bandage.
Also, if you cut yourself, superglue works great to seal the wound. You want the fast drying kind but if you’re patient, normal superglue will work just fine.
Fair warning, the superglue will sting a bit.
If you think using nail polish, clear or otherwise will work the same, you could not be more wrong. That shit stings so bad, I swear to god it’s like your arm is on fire and the room is on fire and everything’s on fire because you’re in hell.
Just don’t do it, it’s bad. Also it takes longer to dry.
I hope this helps you guys! Stay safe!
gracieabrams
blakekathryn
kianamaiart
baratheonpilled
amandla
