SelfharmUK

A blog dedicated to self-harm recovery, insight and support.

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Happy Christmas from all of us here at SelfharmUK! We hope our young people who took part in Alumina have inspired you to give gifts to encourage others to look after their wellbeing this Christmas 🎄​🎁​​ 

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Gemma would ask for book vouchers if she could have anything to help her to look after her wellbeing at Christmas. She said "I like to read so a book voucher. I fall asleep quicker if I have been reading." Reading has actually been proven to give stronger feelings of relaxation than watching television or engaging with social media, allowing sleep to occur more easily

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During an Alumina session, we asked Adam if, as a Christmas present, he could have anything to help him to look after his wellbeing, what would he ask for - he said "I'd ask for money for my next tattoo!" Some people find that a tattoo is a symbol that can motivate them and say a thousand words just by looking at it. Often people who have struggled with depression and self-harm say that for them, it is a constant reminder of hope and strength.

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Ben has always found drawing helpful. When he was part of our Alumina support group learning new ways to manage his self-harming behaviours, we asked him if he could have anything for Christmas to help him to look after his wellbeing, what would he ask for? "Art supplies –as I like to draw how I’m feeling." Creating art can relieve stress, encourage creative thinking, and increase self-esteem and self-confidence

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Emma is a young person who recently took part in Alumina, our online self-harm support programme. She told us that she would ask for bubble bath for Christmas to help her to look after her wellbeing: "I would ask for bubble bath - I love it in my bath!" A bath (with or without bubbles!) is a great way to look after your wellbeing as it helps to calm your mind and relax your body

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For Christmas this year, we asked some young people who had taken part in our Alumina online self-harm support programme a question about Christmas. We asked them if, as a Christmas present, they could have anything to help them look after their wellbeing, what would they ask for and why? In the lead up to Christmas, we will be posting their answers and encouraging you to think about how you could help a young person to look after their mental health and wellbeing this Christmas 

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It's National Anger Awareness Week this week, and we've got this great vlog from Matt all about how to manage your anger 😠👍

[thepowerwithin]

What is something meaningful that you learned today?

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Laurie is a 25 year old teacher from Boston and a few years ago she was sexually assaulted. This is the story of how self-harming took control of her life and how she was able to stop...

BE CAREFUL, THIS POST HAS A TRIGGER WARNING.

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Did you know that this week is #selfcareweek? Our latest blog is full of tips about how to look after the most important person you know - yourself

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Kindness isn’t measurable. There isn’t a kindness scale which we can ‘achieve’ kindness or check on our Social Media profile to see what marks out of 10 we have been given for kindness. Why? Read more here...

If you enjoyed reading our Self Care Week blog on the SelfharmUK website, we guarantee you'll enjoy reading today's blog too! It's World Kindness Day and we're talking all about the importance of being kind to ourselves 💝

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A broken heart hurts. It doesn’t matter how long you knew someone for or how often you saw them. If you have feelings for them and they don’t feel the same, they broke your heart and nothing will ever change that...

Checkout this empowering blog all about heartbreak on the Selfharmuk website! 💔 

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When Gary's wife died, he used his love for drawing to help him to begin to come to terms with his loss. What followed was a series of inspirational drawings that moved the nation!

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Bandaged Mummies activity for Halloween!

Trick or Treat! In our latest blog, we're thinking about all the things that weigh us down, hold us back and drain us, as well as making our own Bandaged Mummies! Happy Halloween 🎃 

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Some of us love our pets, some of us aren’t too keen on animals, but either way the evidence is strong - animals calm us down...

It's National Cat Day today!! 🐈 Check out this blog by Jo all about how animals can help us with our anxiety...

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One of the activities we invited our young people to take part in order to explore what the word ‘relaxation’ actually meant, was collaging...

We hope you're having a relaxing half term so far! Last week at drop in was ‘relaxation week’. What’s drop in and why was it relaxation week we hear you ask? Read the blog here 👆

[selfharmuk-blog]

Happy National Baking Week everyone! If you’re a fan of the Great British Bake Off, understand what a “soggy bottom” is and want to know more about how baking can help your wellbeing, then this is the blog for you!