[JayneDough!]

Here is the thing—I know I'm not supposed to cut, but I can't come up with a reason why. In all the reason not to cut most of them talk about not wanting scars, which is something I don’t understand at all. I like my scars.

When someone has a physical injury everyone can clearly see that they were hurt, but when the trauma is emotional there isn’t anything visible to let the world know you were hurt (or are hurting.) That’s why I like my scars, they are something I can point to and say, “I hurt; and this is how much.”

I called a friend and he said he didn’t want me cutting anymore, but for the life of me I can’t come up with a reason to stop. I’m first aid certified so there is no worry of infection because I sterilize my blades.

If you can come up with a convincing argument not to, I’d like to hear it.

[mazing]

I can give you all of the reasons in the world, but utimately you need to find your own People have different reasons - the scars, not wanting sympathy of others, guilt, not wanting to be addicted to SI to feel/express.

The thing you really need to work out is - do you want to stop? What do you get out of cutting? Is there a way you can achieve that in another way? It seems for you that you use SI as a way to show your pain. Can you think of other ways to do that? Talking, poetry, writing etc?

It's great that you have first aid training and ensure that you look after your wounds however the other dangerous thing about SI is the effect it can have on your brain and it's use of endorphines (chemicals that make you happy). The more you use SI, the more you crave it to release endorphins and your brain thinks that you need to harm more severely to get that release, as well as needing it to cope. That is why SI is often classed as an addiction. It is very hard to stop when your body is craving the endorphin rush.

As I said, I can't give you a reason to stop - that has to come from within you as it isn't an easy thing to do . I would suggest looking at creating a pro-, con- list about it. Be completely honest with yourself and see what you can come up with on both sides. Also think long-term. Is this something you want for the rest of your life?

I can completely understand the pain. I used to SI myself for many years as a way to express the pain but ultimately I found my reason to stop. I was sick of being completely dependent on the release and craving it all of the time. It was taking over my life. I have now not SI for almost 5 years. The feelings are still there when I become extremely stressed but I have managed to resist them. I don't want to go back.

I wish you the best of luck

[JayneDough!]

Originally Posted by mazing

The thing you really need to work out is - do you want to stop?
In the end, no I don't want to stop.

What do you get out of cutting?
Like I said before, it's a way to express pain, to show how much I hurt.

Can you think of other ways to do that? Talking, poetry, writing etc?
I used to write poetry, but I just can't anymore. It feels like life is just "too much." I have trouble functioning--cutting helps me focause and brings me back.

It's great that you have first aid training and ensure that you look after your wounds however the other dangerous thing about SI is the effect it can have on your brain and it's use of endorphines (chemicals that make you happy).
I never thought of it that way, but it makes sense. The only endorphis I would get would come from SI. I've been doing yoga to try to reliese endorphins another way, but yoga hasn't helped any.

As I said, I can't give you a reason to stop - that has to come from within you as it isn't an easy thing to do . I would suggest looking at creating a pro-, con- list about it. Be completely honest with yourself and see what you can come up with on both sides. Also think long-term. Is this something you want for the rest of your life?
Thanks--I will try this. It may take a while to come up with a list though.

I wish you the best of luck

I hope how I responded above makes sense.

[Sannah]

Expressing your emotions in a healthy way is better. Cutting yourself isn't helpful (except for that moment of relief). You know that cutting yourself isn't right. You need a therapist so that you can learn how to deal with your emotions.

[JayneDough!]

Originally Posted by Sannah

Expressing your emotions in a healthy way is better. Cutting yourself isn't helpful (except for that moment of relief). You know that cutting yourself isn't right. You need a therapist so that you can learn how to deal with your emotions.

I started talking with a Priest. He said there is too much going on in my life right now and that I won't be able to work on things like SI until everything else settels down. But here's the catch, when the rest of my life settles down, I don't cut because I don't feel overwhelmed.

Sounded stupid to me; but that's what I was told.

I like my scars too, never until this day has someone agreed with me. Good luck with everything and stay safe. x)

[Moraganal]

Hey,
I would honestly see a psychiatrist, he'll help you retrain your mind and use different methods of coping. I don't cut anymore because I feel I deserve something better than to hurt my body. Cutting yourself to represent your pain is a little odd to me. I personally hate my scars because I believe my pain should be private and something that I go through not others. I'm not represented by my pain i'm represented by the person that I am. Plus most people don't view scars as you've been through a lot. It more looks like your desperate for attention. You should respect your body, that should be your main reason for stopping. I'm not going to lie I have been known to cut about once a year now under weak times. But I do it to feel... or relax, or to hurt myself. Not to represent my pain, maybe you should try thinking of positive things to represent yourself with. I also find my scars just remind me of my pain when it's something I should be moving on from. Either way goodluck!

[Sannah]

Originally Posted by JayneDough!

I started talking with a Priest. He said there is too much going on in my life right now and that I won't be able to work on things like SI until everything else settels down. But here's the catch, when the rest of my life settles down, I don't cut because I don't feel overwhelmed.

Sounded stupid to me; but that's what I was told.

Yeah, when things are crazy this is when you need help learning how to deal with things in a healthy way so that you don't resort to SI. Any chance getting someone who is more trained?