Punching myself in the face

What is up with that?

I just started feeling frustrated in bed today and i normally feel suicidal but instead i just punched myself in the head.

Thoughts? Is there a name for this?

((((IT)))) PLEASE STOP.
hugs, Rose

gee man hope you didn't do a number on yourself.

You sound like a very lonely person.

What makes you say that?

It reduces anxiety if you punch yourself, instead of waiting for the blow to come from outside. That way you know when it is going to happen, rather than enduring the fear of not knowing when it will happen.

Yes, there is a name for it: self-harm.

From Wikipedia:

"Self-harm (SH) or deliberate self-harm (DSH) includes self-injury (SI) and self-poisoning and is defined as the intentional, direct injuring of body tissue most often done without suicidal intentions. These terms are used in the more recent literature in an attempt to reach a more neutral terminology. The older literature, especially that which predates the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR), almost exclusively refers to self-mutilation. The term is synonymous with "self-injury".[1][2][3] The most common form of self-harm is skin-cutting but self-harm also covers a wide range of behaviors including, but not limited to, burning, scratching, banging or hitting body parts, interfering with wound healing, hair-pulling (trichotillomania) and the ingestion of toxic substances or objects."

Illegal Toilet this is only my personal take on this, so please bare that in mind. I personally think it’s almost another extension of your thought process, the good one in some ways. That tries to stop you from harming yourself in a worse way or ending your life. In this case your body wants to react to stop your unwanted suicide thoughts. However at those times your body, mind doesn’t really know how… we all have mixed emotions and although you can’t think yourself out of that situation or moment in time. We end up doing (strange as it seems) things almost instinctively to stop ourselves from doing more harm. Although usually these are also bad things in their own way and hitting yourself in the head won’t really help. Apart from a quick release from the feelings and emotions you’re experiencing at that time. It’s like you’re hurting yourself in one respect, then you’re trying to stop your thoughts. So really this is the better way to let it out. Considering the extent of how you’re feeling at those times. However it’s about trying to work on another way, things to do when you feel like this. You need to try and do something different that won’t harm you even though in this case it might be the helpful in one respect to the bigger picture of your situation. Maybe try getting a punch bag and in those times try to take it out on that instead. You still get your natural way of reacting and releasing that tensions and feelings from yourself but without harming yourself. Just my thoughts and take on this. I am sorry if I got this wrong or this isn’t how it is for you personally. Wishing you all the best

I feel like that sometimes, I usually end up slapping myself, but it tends to feel better when I can’t see straight because of it. O.o

Seconding the heavy bag suggestion I always thought that if one couldn't avoid anger as a physical expression, that a heavy bag would be a good outlet. Serves two purposes. You get a bit of a workout and you spend that aggressive energy on an inanimate object.

For those who see this as still fairly extreme I should say that whacking on a heavy bag isn't a substitute necessarily for someones face. If your anger is that focused than you have a bit more of a problem. Instead it's just a physical release that turns into a mental release. When I used have one it was merely for that. I didn't have people or persons in mind when I did it. I would equate it to any exercise that one can do in a wild burst of emotion and extreme strenuous activity. Riding a bike for example, even fast and crazy isn't as good as this for release. This will expend the max. amount of energy in the shortest time. That's why it works. 3 minutes flailing at a heavy bag? You're pooped. And feeling better. Most people would be anyway. Worked for me. I'd still own one just for the exercise but I don't have anywhere to put one up here. That's the main drawback. You need a basement or garage with room.

Try a heavy bag if you can I/T. Silly suggestion? Perhaps and simplistic too but it can help with stress and frustration on a lot of levels. It's quite practical if you have the room.

have you checked out the test for borderline personality disoder? Just a suggestion.

I've punched myself before. It made me feel better. I deserved it.

Why not just get a punching bag?

ive done it too, out anger at my voices..

i did it because i was P O'ed =/

i don't know if a punching bag would work. i'm just so frustrated at my inability to meet urgent challenges.

I guess I have to go into rehab.

I never appreciated the suggestion of a punching bag. It was not a punching bag I was angry at.

So no punching bag. If you are mad at your car, do you run it into a tree?

I not sure if my apologising will make any difference to this…That’s not to say that I am not sorry if my reply or response was not of help or if I have just made this worse. I am SORRY for that and actually I made a mistake in suggesting this because I guess this is not a helpful technique or any use in understanding this for you or how to then work through this. It’s sort of like suggesting to someone who smokes just chew nicotine gum sort of helps maybe but actually doesn’t resolve the matter or way about the behaviour in why smoke and then stop… please I am not stating this is the same but trying to explain myself the best way I can, with the next best thing so you may be then you can relate to what I am trying to explain. Also please anyone who smokes and reads this, this is not to do with you, I was merely using that statement to try and explain my reasoning.

The only reason I suggested a punch bag was it seems that sometimes anger tends to be a release and response to letting things out. I thought that if this was your natural reaction… there’s noting wrong with feeling angry, unless you end up using it to harm others or yourself… I am sure you don’t do this. But when we lose all hope with ourselves and get to a point, I can relate to this personally, you tend to lash out in anger because it’s like your body has all this tension and emotions running through it that you end up in one way or another psychically reacting to lessen that in some way.

That is why I thought this may be of use to you and please I know now that was the wrong thing to suggest for yourself personally… like I said before in my other post sorry if I got this wrong or this isn’t how it is for you personally.

No need for apologies as far as I am concerned. Different people react differently. I was just saying how it struck me, when the use of a punching bag as a replacement for true expression of anger, was suggested to me IN MY LONG AGO PAST. It was not your expression of it that I was referring to! (Assuming that it was me you were responding to. )

I wasn’t replying to anyone’s personal reply here but actually collectively and with O/P Illegal Toilet take on this and I suggested it personally to them. I suddenly realize another prospective to how my response and suggestion may actually have come across.. and like you said (pachyderm) we all react differently. So really I didn’t consider in my first post the general terms of how my suggestion was of help… if you can understand me here. I was only going by my viewing and mind… impulse response I suppose.
Personally to Illegal Toilet sorry if my response just frustrated you and didn’t seem that I thought through my post well or didn’t seem caring towards you.

Punching yourself could be self injury but the question is - where does this come from....are you mad at yourself or just angry/frustrated with life?? A punching does work when its pent up anger....punch until you exhaust yourself. We wouldn't accept anyone punching us, so why do it to ourselves? If you answer why do you want to punch yourself, this is the beginning of the answer. Doing rigorous exercise also helps.

Like LynnP says...rigorous physical exerise.
I'm a bit of a couch potato, so I'm not here to advocate it personally, but I HAVE noticed, among the people I know, that those who are into regular physical fitness, besides looking great!, have few emotional problems. They exude confidence, don't seem insecure, and interaction with them is always positive. I may try to develop a healthy exercise routine to see if it works...May...hmmm...

Don't know if it's helpful, but I also punch myself in the head when I'm frustrated. I also find angry thoughts swirl when I go for a long walk. Don't know if it wears off some of it or not, but I used to feel better when I had a regular exercise program with some kind of cardio and strength routine.

I hit myself in the head so hard the other month I ended up with a minor concussion. I was trying to get my brain to work. This is why I was punching my head. I just wanted my brain to work. I get sick and tired living with my brain and coping with its bazaar antics. I am so angry with how my brain distorts everything. So sick of hearing the same old crap spinning around in my head. Interfering with everything. Alienating me from the world. So tired of reframing and re-aligning every thought I have. i just want my brain to work properly or to stop working all together. To stop torturing me. I just want it to shut up. I am punching at it to try to make it shut up. The rage is always targeted at my brain as though it were some cancer I needed to rip out of me.

The concussion was a bit of a wake up. That was extreme. I need to find another way to cope in those moments. There were times where I would egg my ex on to see if I could get him mad enough to hit me. I used to do that to my dad. When I made them snap I was happy. How sick is that!

There's no need to be sorry, it could very well be a technique that helps a lot of other people.