Stop Cutting Yourself

Cutting is when a person intentionally harms their body with a sharp object to draw blood or to release negative things they are going through (typically the arms or somewhere hidden.) Cutting can be a way of releasing all negative emotions, or a distraction from emotional pain, as the only way to relieve might seem to feel more pain on the outside than on the inside. Most people who cut themselves are usually going through a difficult time in their lives. Others struggle to find a reason for their actions. The scars that result from cutting last a lifetime, and although they may appear to be just on the surface, in actual fact, they're on the inside too; where it hurts the most. The Mental Health Foundation of the UK and US estimates self-harming affects "at least 1 in 15 young people." If you've had enough of hurting yourself and want to know how to help yourself instead, then this article is for you.

Steps

 * 1) Tell someone you trust, about your feelings. This is one of the hardest steps. Chances are, if you've been hiding out for months, or maybe even years, and covering up all of your problems, it is going to be very difficult to suddenly open up. However, confiding in somebody who is trustworthy will be well worth it; they will be able to give you advice, support, help you understand your emotions, and be an alternative outlet rather than cutting. Don't be discouraged if they seem shocked, scared, or maybe even horrified. Of course it will have a massive impact on them. Wait for the person to come to terms with the situation. However, always be sure to confide in someone who you know will help you. Telling someone who will make your situation worse is not always a bad idea, they could, as an example, tell others about it while you want to keep secrecy but it could help you in the long run.
 * 2) Talk to this person whenever you have the urge to cut. When you feel like cutting yourself, confide in a teacher, school counselor, parent, friend, relative, etc. If they don't know about your current struggle, tell them about it and tell them you need their help.
 * 3) Keep a hotline number with you at all times. When you feel the urge to cut, pick up the phone and call the hotline. Crisis hotline staff are trained to provide support and offer you alternatives to cutting yourself. If you haven't gathered the courage to open up to someone close to you yet, then talking anonymously on an untracked hotline would be a good idea. Whenever you feel like cutting yourself, call the hotline number and tell them how you're feeling. Soon, you will start to learn a lot more about your emotions. The staff will be able to help you view your situation in a more positive way.
 * 4) Try talking to a professional crisis clinician. It is clear that it is not their job to "talk you out of" cutting yourself - you make your own choices and you must take responsibility for either cutting or not cutting. However, talking to your GP or another professional and notifying them of your situation will help. They may be able to tell you if you have the symptoms of a disease or disorder (depression, etc.) that may be contributing/causing you to cut. They may also be able to refer you to a clinic or support group.
 * 5) Remove cutting tools from your immediate area. If you have time to search for something to cut yourself with, you may just be able to crush the impulse. One minute can determine whether or not you self harm. Don't keep sharp objects on your table, and don't put razors in a close drawer or cupboard. If you do not yet feel able to throw out your tools, try to delay getting to them by keeping them wrapped up tightly and high up on hard-to-reach shelves, and try to distract yourself when you get the urge (see tips.)
 * 6) [[Image:Scar on arm.jpg|thumb|Scars remain forever]] Identify the 'trigger' that gives you the urge to cut. The moment you have the urge to cut, stop and think of what has just occurred. Remember it and try to avoid these situations. For example, if you've just had an argument with somebody close to you, and are having the urge to cut, stop and ask yourself what's making you feel this way; "I feel like cutting myself because I've just had an argument with somebody I love, and it's making me feel really bad." Determine what in particular makes this situation trigger off negative emotions: a certain feeling, or maybe an action? Work on reducing this issue until you have it under control or completely diminished.
 * 7) If you need to hurt yourself, do it in a controlled and less harmful way. A good idea is to wear a rubber band around your wrist. Every time you want to cut, snap the rubber band against your wrist instead. You can also draw on your wrist with red pen, or rub an ice cube on your wrist. Although all of these cause some immediate pain, it is much milder and much less dangerous.
 * 8) Express your emotions. For example, when you feel like cutting, try doing one or more of the following:
 * 9) *Drawing or scribbling on paper
 * 10) *Painting, on white paper
 * 11) *Get a punch bag of some sort to relieve your anger on.
 * 12) *Listening to music that relates to your emotions and has a positive effect on them.
 * 13) *Squeeze ice cubes until they melt.
 * 14) *Writing down your emotions in a diary/journal
 * 15) *Writing songs/poetry
 * 16) *Call a friend
 * 17) After a day or so, analyze what you have done. Try to determine how you felt, and what you can do to reduce or stop these emotions, or work around them.
 * 18) Distract yourself. Some people feel that rather than analysing their emotions, they feel better when they get rid of them or forget them completely. When you feel the urge to cut, try distracting yourself by trying out the following:
 * 19) *Drink a glass of water
 * 20) *Watch TV
 * 21) *Do some form of exercise-run, walk, ride your bike, or just dance like crazy
 * 22) *Take your dog for a walk, or spend some time with a pet
 * 23)  As soon as you feel the urge to cut yourself, take a deep breath, fold your arms, close your eyes and relax. Tell yourself that you are not going to cut. Get away from any objects you may use to harm yourself so it's not as easy to break your resolution. If possible, lie down somewhere. Stay like this until the urge goes, then quickly phone a help line or use another means of getting help.
 * 24) Screaming at the top of your lungs helps. Try virtually anything you can (as long as it's legal and healthy) to stop the urge to cut. Screaming into a pillow or finding a quiet place to let rip really helps.
 * 25) Speak out loud about what is causing you so much pain. Talk about it - even to yourself, in the privacy of your bedroom: even yelling to yourself to release the tension inside of you - but do not cut or hurt yourself at all. Talking out loud in clear, understandable words will make your situation clearer and more easy to resolve.
 * 26) Help yourself by imagining how you are able to be like a best friend. As if a friend was just about to cut herself, what would you say to stop your good friend? How would you distract them, how would you support them and get them to stop? Apply these answers to yourself.
 * 27) Recognize that cutting is just the symptom of a root problem. Think about what makes you want to cut yourself. Now you are ready to seek and get help. Doctors and trained staff from all kinds of services have been taught especially to help people in your situation. No matter what your issue, age, gender, or background, never feel ashamed to seek help.
 * 28) Love yourself. If you hate yourself there's a good chance you want to hurt yourself when you feel bad. No matter what anyone else tells or or what you think they think about you, you should love yourself. When you love someone, you don't hurt them. Love yourself and don't hurt yourself.

Tips

 * Snap a rubber band on your wrist (ask someone about this first), take a really hot/cold shower, run until you can no longer breathe, close your eyes and name 5 people you can't live without, take a deep breath put down the tools and take control. As soon as you get the scissors or other similar tool in your hand and are slowly bringing it closer to your skin, move it abruptly to a paper or other item and cut that instead.
 * Carve a bar of soap instead of cutting yourself. It is distracting and instead of leaving scars on your arm, leaves scars on the bar of soap. Use a scented bar, so that when you cut it it gives a calming scent.
 * To stop yourself from cutting consider seeking help from a doctor, parent, friend, or counsellor to address the deeper problems that make you want to cut in the first place.
 * Do not be ashamed to ask for support when you need it, as this affliction affects people from all walks of life.
 * Snapping a rubber band on your wrist is a way to reduce infection but is still a form of self-harm so use with caution - although it can be a good tool to use in transition to entirely stopping.
 * Don't let people judge you either - it makes things much harder. Believe in yourself.
 * If you ever need help, always find someone you trust. Having them right next to you can make you feel better, even if it is just a hug.
 * Create a shoe box - Grab an old shoe box and decorate with items that mean something to you (family photos, hobbies, friends, etc.) and then put the items you use to cut in the box. Before you put the lid on the box make a list of 50-100 things to try before you resort to cutting (such as: walking, jogging, plant a flower, pet a cat, watch 20 minutes of tv, read 5 pages in a book, organize a drawer, make a thinking of you card for a friend, call a friend, call an aunt/uncle, etc) This way if you get past everyone that means something to you, you can try everything on the list before grabbing the tools. Put this list on top of the tools and put the lid on the box.
 * The butterfly project. When you have the urge to cut draw a butterfly where you want to cut. Now you don't want the butterfly to die so it has to wear off into the wild to be free. In this time you have to hold the urge to cut and if you do cut, wash the butterfly away because it didn't make it to be free in the wild.
 * Play video games. If you have a Wii, the boxing can relieve inner tension and help you get over the urge to cut. If you don't, play some other game that can let you let out your aggression.
 * Write the name of a loved one where you usually cut. Let it remind you of who cares for you and who are hurting when you cut.
 * Always remember that you should not seek help at the wrong person (not taking it seriously/make fun of you, telling other people without thinking about your opinion, make you feel even worse).
 * Carry pictures of your friends and families, look at them whenever you think of harming yourself and say that, the people you will be hurting wont just be you... it will be the people in the pictures as well ;)
 * Write to vent your feelings, this can be a helpful tool to better understand yourself and what you are feeling.
 * Try to look at things from a different perspective, instead of looking at your problem like "theres no way out" Say to yourself "this is just a hard hole to climb out of, but I can get out "
 * When you feel like cutting, sit down (in a chair, with a table in front of you) put your head on the edge of the table and reach your arms out in front of your head onto the table and breath in through your nose and out through your mouth, and while doing so, think of the people who care about you, and who NEED you.
 * Sometimes crying helps. If you cry your eyes out for awhile, you may feel like you have washed the pain away.
 * Writing poetry about your feelings is also a good outlet instead of cutting oneself
 * When you have the urge to cut, just punch something as hard as you can. It may release anger or other emotions that may make you want to cut yourself.
 * Do something that relates to the pain you're going through (Song, Poem, People, Family, Ect.)
 * Talk to someone.
 * Talk to family and friends about what's going on. They are certain to help you.

Warnings

 * Self-injury can lead to infections and permanent scars.
 * Cutting is dangerous. Particularly if you are not fully in control of your behaviour, there is a possibility that you may accidentally hit an artery and possibly even bleed to death. If you begin bleeding profusely and cannot stop it, do not hesitate to seek medical care.
 * If you are cutting your arms deeply, you risk of damaging tendons and potentially cripple your hand.
 * The visual effects of the cuts could inflict pain on the people you love such as friends and family.
 * Be careful when using online forums and look for ones that are there to help you. If at any time you are not comfortable in a forum, leave or contact one of the moderators/webmaster.
 * Be particularly wary of forums that appear to encourage you to post photographs of your scars or injuries in exchange for praise and/or encouragement.
 * Self harm can ruin relationships with the ones who mean most to you. Try to stop for the sole reason of having that one person or those people with you.
 * Just because some famous people may cut themselves doesn't mean you should too. These celebrities are probably suffering from depression.
 * Do it for you. Love and respect yourself enough to get the help you'll need to stop cutting.
 * Think of the ONE person that keeps you going, that ONE special person that has always helped you through the toughest of times, and think about how you are hurting them by hurting yourself
 * Don't listen to music that usually triggers you to cut or feel down.
 * You may lose friends who just wants the best for you but can't handle your cutting.

Sources and Citations

 * What if there is NO ONE who makes you feel going on is worth it? Then what.
 * http://www.healingselfinjury.org
 * http://www.thursdayschild.org/hframe_index.htm
 * http://www.nmha.org/mpower/411Cutting.htm
 * http://www.peabodylibrary.org/ya/hotlines.htm
 * http://www.magickalshadow.com/daca/cutting.html
 * Wikipedia article on self-harm
 * Self Mutilators Anonymous
 * Suicide Prevention
 * Useful Forums
 * http://www.teenhelp.org
 * http://www.recoveryourlife.com
 * http://www.twloha.com
 * http://www.doorofhope4teens.com
 * http://www.riseandrecover.com
 * http://www.heartsupport.com