there was a book I bought called the scarred soul. you can get it on amazon for under 10 bucks. its a work book of sorts to understand si. read a chapter answr 8 or so questions. it was a nice book as in it wasn't threatening to do. it didn't ask you to quit which was a scary idea for me. I wasn't ready to do that. it doesn't ask you to do that till the end of the book. I quit doing the book at that chapter because I wasn't ready. but I didn't cut for over five years after doing the work in the book. then I only cut twice during a complete mental breakdown. it has been nearly 8 years now since then that I still haven't harmed myself so something about the book worked even though I never finished it.

i have a technique i use for unwanted thoughts. i have a door at the front of my mind and one at the back of my mind. the thoughts come in the front door and the only attention i give them is to notice them long enough to escort them out the back door. they are like clouds drifting through. i do not become attached to them, the only thing i think in my head is "thats it, out the back door". i will even visualize the thought being thrown out of my mind like a bouncer throwing a drunk out of a bar.

i have this thing called an anxiety meter that i visualize in my head. but you can change it from anxiety to stress. the meter goes from 0 to 10, 10 being the worst stress ever. so when your are stressed, see where the needle registers on the meter. then do breathing exercises until you get it down to a four. which is usually manageable. sometimes i see a knob on the meter and i will manually turn down the meter to four so i can calm down faster. practicing this enough, all i have to do now when i am anxious is say dial down, and i can calm myself.

welcome to psych central. you will find we have several forums where you can post about your concerns and receive feedback from other members. you will get a lot of support here. again, welcome