SH venting and support

less posting on saturdays, anon is on, constructive criticism and questions/suggestions are welcome

[support-for-selfharmers]

Hiii!!

Welcome to support for selfharmers <3

Inspired by: @support-for-the-suicidal

This is a safe space for people to talk about self harm. I encourage and support harm reduction and recovery. However I also support those who aren't or can't. A lot of times talking about it can be a big step towards feeling less isolated and feeling some relief. I hope someone can find some comfort and support through this blog.

*Disclaimer*: I'm 17 years old and am not a professional on mental health and self harm. I am just here to provide support, validation and a listening ear.

Please no: graphic pictures of self harm or self injury tools, hate, bullying

You don't have to censor yourself

I want to keep this a safe space 💜

This is going to be primarily about self harm but you are welcome to discuss other (related) things as well

(I don't use graphic tags but I do add trigger warnings when necessary, please let me know if you want me to add a trigger warning)

*for some great resources on harm reduction check out: @self-harm-harm-reduction

[support-for-selfharmers]

im trying to find resources on covering scars with make up? There was a post that went into detail about it and i cant find it.

<3

Hey anon, I'm not sure I know exactly what post you're referring to but this is from @self-harm-harm-reduction's website. On the same page of the link is different ways you can treat scars and minimize their appearance.

Sending love <3

[support-for-selfharmers]

hi :]

I'm over a year clean of cutting at this point. I still scratch and pinch myself sometimes, but it still feels huge to me, in a way. it's hard, though. sometimes I still can't help but imagine cutting, a lot. my arm feels bare a lot of the time. it's almost unbearable at times.

I don't know if the urges will ever go away, but I don't think that matters, right now. I'm getting there, bit by bit.

(thank you for having this blog, by the way. I've been trying not to talk about this for a long time, and having somewhere to talk is genuinely huge. thank you so much <3)

Congrats on being 1+ year clean! I acknowledge your effort and I'm proud of you <3

Recovery isn't linear. Your urges might never go away but they will likely become less frequent over time.

I'm glad you find this blog helpful and I'm proud of you for opening up. Many people who self harm keep it a secret for many reasons (fear of judgement, shame, trying to ignore it/pretend it doesn't exist etc..) and that secrecy can be lonely and detrimental. I think a big part of recovery is opening up about it and acknowledging it (even if it's anonymously online).

You got this, sending love <3

[support-for-selfharmers]

Hey!

I have positive news: I'm officially five months clean this month! I've battled sh off and on for seven years now, and I think the longest I made it was eight months without cutting. I go to college next month! I never thought I would be alive long enough to go.

Waiting out urges and drawing on my arms with markers has been really helpful. Ice has been too, but less so because it feeds the urge too much for me.

Just wanted to share!

Hi anon!

Thank you for sharing! It's great you're finding different ways of coping that work for you <3 Good luck in college!

I'm really proud of you, you got this <3

[support-for-selfharmers]

Hey folks! I've been occupied with traveling and stuff but I'm finally back Home. Hopefully I'll be able to respond to all the stuff in my inbox now <3

[support-for-selfharmers]

not a vent but i just want to let you know i appreciate this blog so much :) i'm around 3 months clean and i know that my past self from 4 months ago wouldve loved this blog :) thank you

Hey anon

I'm so glad you find this blog helpful! It makes me really happy to know that people are benefiting :)

Congrats on 3 months! I'm so proud of you! you got this anon <<3

[support-for-selfharmers]

Hey folks! I'm back

My ask box is open and you're welcome to send stuff as always

It might be a moment before I answer stuff. Just getting back to myself after this month.

Sending love <3

[what-we-wish-you-knew]

relapsing isn’t failure. You’re surviving. Everything is on the table. You’ve got this. Just staying alive is success. One addict to whoever sees this, ily. Progress is not a straight line. Sometimes the line has loops and wiggles.

.

[support-for-selfharmers]

Hey folks! I'm not going to have internet access for a month because I will be at summer camp. Venting, questions and stuff are welcome while I'm away I just won't be able to check them until July 28th.

Sending love <3

[support-for-selfharmers]

Thought I should let y'all know that vent art is definitely welcome!

[support-for-selfharmers]

Is it still self harm if I scream until it hurts? I’ve only seen self harm in the cutting form, I just want to know so I can have a better outlet.

Hi anon, thanks for the ask

Self harm is anything someone does to intentionally harm themselves. It comes in many different forms, cutting is just one of many.

If screaming is serving the same function and you are doing it to purposely harm yourself for one reason or another, it is self harm.

If you have access, I encourage you to do more research to better understand your own personal experiences and how to move forward in a way that works for you. You got this anon :)

Sending love <3

*(feel free to ask for clarification on anything and if you want I can recommend some resources)

[support-for-selfharmers]

I'm really annoyed about everything. I need to relapse, but I can't unscrew my pencil sharpener. I've tried several different screwdrivers, and none worked. My only other option is some razor blades I found in my house. But idk what they've been used for in the past, but at this point, I'm desperate enough. But I was curious if you know about any good ways of cleaning the blades? Sorry if this isn't the kind of question you'd answer, I also just kinda needed to vent.

Hey anon, I'm really sorry you're going through that. I know you are desperate to hurt yourself but using an old tool, especially if you don't know who's used it before, is not a safe choice. This post has lots of good information about self harm tools including how to clean them. I encourage you to check it out.

Stay safe anon. Sending love <3

[support-for-selfharmers]

Hello! I’m not quite sure how to go about this, and feel free to not answer if it’s too far removed from the topic of self-harm.

I attempted a few hours ago (it didn’t work, obviously) and it left a pretty bad cut on my wrist. I was wondering if anyone know how long those kinds took to heal or if anyone had tips for covering it up? I’m not in an environment that would respond well to me being open about what had happened at the moment. There’s a description of the cut in the next paragraph so please don’t read it if you’re squeamish!

The cut is about an inch and a half long, raised where the skin should connect, and it bled a lot. I’m still a bit woozy? When I did it, I could see a little bit of yellow. This is for reference for people who know how long wounds take to heal if any can help.

Thank you!

Hi anon. No worries, this ask is definitely on topic (and even if it wasn't I probably would have been happy to answer).

First of all I'm glad you're still here and ok. You're doing the best you can and deserve love and support.

Second, while I do have a decent amount of medical knowledge I don't feel super qualified to answer in too much depth. This is a resource from @self-harm-harm-reduction on cuts. There you can find information on assessing damage, wound care, signs of infection etc.. Here you can find information on hiding, covering and preventing/minimizing scars. That blog I mentioned also has different resources on harm reduction and other helpful information on self harm. They have their ask box off at the moment but you can still send them submissions. I encourage you to check them out.

Wishing you the best. You got this! Sending love <3

[support-for-selfharmers]

one thing I’ve found really helpful is brow pencils. I got a mini-tester one, and use it to make marks on my wrist. they look a lot like scars and help settle the itch.

Thanks for sharing, anon! I'm glad (and proud!) you found a self harm alternative that works for you 💜

I've heard people use makeup to mimic wounds as well and find it helpful.

Sending love <3

[stopmyhearts]

if you want to stop some kind of harmful coping mechanism, i find that long term goals are actually pretty unimportant. like yes, of course it's helpful if you want to recover and never do it again ever but ultimately what you need? is a reason not to do it right now. finding a reason not to do something for the next ten minutes is actually so easy. maybe you just don't want to get up or you'd rather listen to a song first or it'd be really inconvenient tomorrow or whatever. and you don't ever need a big reason. you can just keep going with a million tiny reasons forever if you want

[support-for-selfharmers]

Hello folks! I personally really benefited from this person's YouTube channel so I thought I'd recommend it <3

Selfharmerproblems

Selfharmerproblems was started in 2016 in Switzerland by Malika, someone with lived experience of self harm, after she experienced for herse

[support-for-the-suicidal]

Happy pride month to suicidal/self-harming LGBTQ+ people!!!

Queer people are around four times more likely to attempt suicide than non-LGBTQ+ people and around half/a little less than half consider suicide. Acceptance is a key part of suicide prevention.

It's okay to be queer and suicidal (even if they aren't connected!). You're not a failure. You're not proving the bigots right. You're not a burden on your community.

Happy June everyone!