Quote:
Originally Posted by seesaw
Do you have a cat or a dog? You could just say that you got scratched while playing. Hate to blame it on the family pet, but people probably wouldn't blink an eye at that.
I'm with Ifst that I'm reticent to give out excuses to hide self harm, but honestly, what I have found is that if I just say, I had an accident and brush it off, people tend to accept that and leave it be. Most people don't want to think of the darker possible causes anyhow, so they're eager to accept the easy excuse.
Thinking about having to hide cuts and scars is one of the things that helps me not self-harm. So maybe this will help motivate you when you feel like SI next time, that you will have to find ANOTHER excuse. It does get tiring.
I hope this helps.
Seesaw
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Hey Seesaw!
I read your reply a few days ago, but I wanted to wait until after the event to respond.
As it turns out, no one asked about it.
Before I put on the bandages today (the day of the event), I thought I would need two large bandages (which I thought would be very noticeable), but I only needed one and a tiny one. Not only that, the bandages were skin colored, so they were not that obvious.
I wore my jacket as long as I could, and when I took it off I covered my arm when possible. I was especially furtive when I was near my friends.
So in the end, it was not as prominent as I thought it would be, and I succeeded in what I originally wanted: to hide my recent SI from my loved ones.
However, I feel quite lonely and sad, for no one knows. I think some of them might have seen it, but it didn't look very serious so they didn't comment.
It's one of those "I told you so" scenarios. But I was originally very worried that at least one of my loved ones would find out, for I wanted today to be a happy day. Thus, I worked hard in trying to hide it, even asking for suggestions on Psych Central and googling how to hide SI.
I think I will wait for the opportune moment to tell someone. It will probably be when the loneliness becomes unbearable and when the cuts look less serious (less scary). Like you said Seesaw, hiding SI is tiring, and I am growing weary of constantly wearing long-sleeves when I'm sweltering, avoiding pulling my sleeves up too high when I wash my hands, thinking about what events I have coming up that require me to wear shorter sleeves, and telling my friends that I'm okay when I'm really not.
Thank you so much everyone for your suggestions and concerns . It means a lot to me, and I will keep your kind words in mind when I feel the urges.
