#selfharmawareness #mentalhealth #copingmechanisms
Have you ever wondered why people cut themselves? This is a question that often comes up when discussing self-harm. It can be confusing and difficult to understand why someone would intentionally hurt themselves in this way. In this article, we will explore the complex reasons behind self-harm and provide some insight into this behavior.
## What is self-harm?
Self-harm, also known as self-injury, is the act of deliberately causing harm to oneself. This can take many forms, such as cutting, burning, scratching, or hitting oneself. It is important to note that self-harm is not a suicide attempt, but rather a coping mechanism used by some individuals to deal with overwhelming emotions or distress.
## Why do people cut themselves?
There are various reasons why someone may engage in self-harm. Here are some common motivations behind this behavior:
1. **Coping with emotions:** Some people use self-harm as a way to cope with difficult emotions or situations. By causing physical pain, they may temporarily distract themselves from emotional pain or numb feelings of distress.
2. **Expressing emotions:** For some individuals, self-harm can be a way to express emotions that are difficult to verbalize. The physical act of self-harm may serve as a way to communicate feelings of anger, sadness, or frustration.
3. **Seeking control:** Self-harm can provide a sense of control in situations where an individual may feel overwhelmed or helpless. By choosing to inflict pain on themselves, they may feel a sense of power or autonomy.
4. **Self-punishment:** Some people engage in self-harm as a form of self-punishment. They may feel guilty or unworthy of love and use self-harm as a way to punish themselves for perceived faults or mistakes.
5. **Relief from numbness:** In some cases, self-harm can be a way to feel something when emotions have become numb or overwhelming. The physical pain caused by self-injury can serve as a way to break through emotional numbness.
## Is self-harm a cry for attention?
The misconception that self-harm is solely a cry for attention is harmful and inaccurate. While seeking attention may be a factor for some individuals, it is important to recognize that self-harm is a complex behavior with deep-rooted emotional triggers. Those who engage in self-harm are often struggling with underlying mental health issues and should be met with empathy and support rather than judgment.
## How to help someone who self-harms?
If you suspect that a friend or loved one is engaging in self-harm, it is important to approach the situation with care and sensitivity. Here are some tips on how to support someone who self-harms:
1. **Listen without judgment:** Encourage open communication and listen actively to their feelings and experiences without passing judgment.
2. **Offer support:** Let them know that you are there for them and are willing to help them seek professional help if needed.
3. **Encourage healthy coping strategies:** Help them explore alternative ways to cope with difficult emotions, such as practicing mindfulness, exercising, or talking to a therapist.
4. **Educate yourself:** Take the time to educate yourself about self-harm and mental health issues. Understanding the underlying causes of self-harm can help you provide more effective support.
Remember, self-harm is a serious issue that requires professional intervention. Encourage your friend or loved one to seek help from a mental health professional or counselor who can provide them with the support and guidance they need to address the root causes of their self-harm.
In conclusion, the reasons why people cut themselves are multifaceted and deeply personal. By gaining a better understanding of the motivations behind self-harm, we can work towards breaking the stigma and providing compassionate support to those who are struggling. If you or someone you know is experiencing self-harm, remember that help is available and you are not alone. #selfharmawareness #mentalhealth #supportandrecovery 🌟
I think it might be either to punish themselves or to focus their emotional pain to physical pain. Like a distraction from what they’re feeling.
For me, stress relieving. I’m gonna leave it at that
My experience.. self harm sometimes feel nice :/ if I feel anxiety it will calm me down a bit… I have ring with sharp teeth so if I twist that ring anticlockwise I will cut myself
It’s an unhealthy coping mechanism
Someone who does it himself here.
For me cutting is a (unhealthy) coping mechanism, it temporarily helps to reduce stress and emotional pain
i knew a girl that had ptsd cause of domestic issues and she had done two attempts. she was a very normal person and very funny. but the things she did were not constantly on her mind, they came in episodes. she felt as though it was her only option to escape
ppl can cut themselves for several reasons, some think they deserve to be punished or treated that way and in a lot of other cases its cuz the phisycall pain helps take away from the mental pain cuz your brain focuses more on the fact that you have been hurt phisycally. there are many other reasons that are less common
It distracts me
Cutting can be a coping mechanism for dealing with overwhelming emotions or stress. It’s often a way for individuals to try to regain a sense of control over their emotions or situations in their lives.
Please don’t judge people who do it, just try to help. I know it’s not normal, but it’s helpful to them.
there are diff reasons for why ppl do it. it can be a form of self punishment. some people do it just to feel pain and actually feel something if they feel numb all the time. it’s also a form of stress relief. when you experience pain, endorphins are released which can help to reduce stress.
For me it’s to punish myself, it’s not healthy though. I stopped for a long time, like 5 months and then started again. One month clean then I did it again, it’s also probs cause of my BPD
someone who does it here. it’s a very unhealthy coping mechanism. sometimes the physical pain distracts me from my issues or gives me something else to think about. it has kinda become an addiction for me personally.
Once read somewhere that a lot of the people do that to a) feel something since they can’t feel anything, happy or sad or b) feel like they have control over their lives
Then there are some kids who just do that because it’s “cool” (looking at my toxic ex-friend group here)
i don’t cut myself but sometimes when i’m sad i pinch myself as hard as i can to try and distract myself from emotional pain, because in my opinion physical pain is easier to deal with. i think that’s one reason people do it.
I used to do it, terrible habit 2/10. Anyhow, I did to justify existence as I feel I had made a bunch of mistakes back then. I was able to slowly work of it by switching to a rubber band on the wrist and then just not.
it’s a coping mechanism, cutting can make your brain release chemicals that feel good and get you addicted, there are multiple reasons, just be there for the person, if you know a person that self harms, they must be goingt through a tough time
Well I don’t really cut myself, but when I fuck something up and I feel like shit, I pinch or scratch myself because I feel like i “deserve” it and I need to punish myself. So it could be that reason
For my cousin when he did it the reason was he liked to “punish” himself for stuff he did, like masturbating and smoking etc. People can have many different reasons for this.
there’s actually a physiological reason.
pain releases endorphins which release the happy hormones (serotonin and one other) which is basically a mini high. people can also get addicted to such hormones that are released and therefore get addicted to self harm.
i guess cause it makes me feel like my sadness is valid
Sometimes the pain is so much that you need something to do to cope so they cut themselves, in a weird twisted way it’s like they are regaining control
When you cut yourself, it releases dopamine. For me, it was a similar kind of release that I get when smoking a cig. But also, the pain distracted me from my thoughts. For a few seconds, everything would stop, and all I could think about was the sting. I liked those few seconds because I felt the pain I was in from cutting was in my control and also nowhere near as painful as what I was feeling emotionally
As someone who hits themselves (I dont cut, I punch myself)
It can be used to cope with intense emotions or to punish oneself, and as cutting is often hand in hand with people with intense depression…you can connect the dots.
So you feel like your pain matters instead of just being “all in your head.”
Ngl bru I used to cut myself cus I js wanted to ruin myself n I was going thru shii but now thinkin that was worth nothing n I was being stupid asf but its addicting asf yk cus when smth happens, the first thing yu feel like doing is cutting
I understand it’s a coping mechanism and to whoever is going through that, I wish you nothing but healing along the way but as someone who has depression, you will never catch me doing that shit. I’m going through it internally so why the fuck would I cut my damn self to feel even more pain but this time physically. No shade to anyone who does it because everyone has their own coping mechanisms and mental illness is real and the effects of it are also real but I’m not putting myself through more god damn pain. Like I said tho, that’s just me.
Ä°dk but that thing is addictive 🥲 (also feel good sometimes, but after that you don’t feel good any more
It just kind of numbs my brain out and all I have to focus is where I will put the tip of the knife
To feel.
I was close to cutting myself once. For me it was stress. I didnt go through with it, but i was shaking and crying and could barely look at the knives when i was making a sandwich. I was home alone and overwhelmed by stress.
That was around 1 month ago. My parents now know that i feel like i am close to a burnout but they still dont know that i almost cut myself. Yesterday i took my first dose of ADHD medication and my mom is helping me with schoolwork sometimes now and im getting some help from the teachers. Hopefully things will get better for me.
People cut themselves for different reasons. Some for self-punishment, some do it because of stress, some do it to feel like they have at least some sort of control over their life. It is important to not judge people that cut themselves and instead help them. Sometimes just listening to them can be enough.
Adrian and away
It really doeends on the person but for a lot of people they feel as though they deserve it, for others it’s about feeling like they’re in control and addictive like behaviour, and there’s other reasons too – whatever the reason never judge them for it
feels good when you feel like shit
Pain distracts you from pain, for some people, the physical pain is far more bearable than the mental pain.
It may be used by a handful of attention seekers, but don’t let bad actors fool you. It’s a big problem, don’t judge those who do it, help them out. Something as simple as a compliment or a “I feel for you” goes a long way.
As someone who does it, there can be many different reasons. Some people do it to feel something if they’re feeling really numb. Some people do it to distract or cope with overwhelming emotions. That’s what I do. Some people do it to punish themselves. For some people, it’s an addiction, and there’s no “root cause”. This can happen because cutting releases endorphins and dopamine to block out pain immediately after you do it, which can give a feeling of relief. And some people do it for attention.
Now, regardless of how it started, for most people it turns into an addiction. For me, when I’m feeling intense emotions I get urges to cut. My brain associates those intense emotions with the feeling of relief I get from cutting. And of course, there is some level of mental illness in everyone who cuts, because it isn’t normal or healthy to want to damage your body.
I cut myself because it made me feel alive and made me remember that I wasn’t dead (I was going through some pretty tough psychosis at the time). It was an outlet for all of my anger and mental turmoil.
When you cut, your brain releases dopamine that makes you feel rewarded. For depressed people, they get addicted to that temporary happiness. They get hooked on the feeling and it makes it harder to stop cutting.
As someone who has cut myself some, but not quite to a serious degree, it is both a form of punishment for myself and a way to cope with overwhelming emotions.
Scars on the back are a swordman’s shame.
I PERSONALLY (other people might have different reasons) cut myself for two reasons.
1. Because I feel i deserve it.
2. It’s kinda a scream for help, if anybody sees the cuts than I hope they would know that I AM STRUGGLING, I just can’t reach out to others by myself
I used to do it and call myself a worthless piece of shit fuckup
I used to cut so I’ll give you an example from my pov.
Do you ever have a pain so bad that it makes you clench your teeth or do anything to stop it? Maybe clenching your teeth or pinching yourself helps relieve the pain for a moment? That’s why I used to cut. I had and still have depression like symptoms. When I cut, my mind focused on the pain in my arm instead of the thoughts on my mind. It was the only thing that felt like it helped
it’s like a distraction kind of thing, the pain is relaxing to them and it’s kinda like a stress reliefÂ
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