[Poppy Princess]

Is it okay to just be okay with cutting? It's not making my life any worse so I don't see why I should stop.

People say I should stop and I ask, "why?"

They have the same list of reasons every time. Most of the reasons are just so unlikely to happen that I'd have to be trying to cause some real damage. If it makes me feel better then why not do it?

[growlithing]

To my understanding, self harm reinforces negative self talk. Say you got into a fight with your mom and she made you so upset that you wanted to take it out on yourself. Even if you aren't actively thinking "I need to be punished" but are instead just wanting to relieve some of the pain, by inflicting physical pain on yourself you are still implanting the idea that you are no good and you need to be punished for upsetting your mom.

I guess in my situation, cutting helps me manage my loneliness, self hatred, sui thoughts, etc. If I constantly use self harm to block out those feelings, then I just ignore the real problem and never actually treat the reason I'm being driven to that point.

I know it's a coping mechanism just like singing or drawing... but it's really not. How many completely happy and mentally individuals do you know that live a genuinely happy life and occasionally self harm?

But to be honest, I struggle with this too. For me, cutting defeats my sui thoughts for at least a little while. I have trouble figuring out if cutting is worse than sitting around thinking about dying or if it's best to just cut and move on with my life.

[Poppy Princess]

I know people who live genuinely happy lives and drink themselves half to death.

[MoxieDoxie]

Originally Posted by Poppy Princess

I know people who live genuinely happy lives and drink themselves half to death.

They are hiding behind a facade. Happy do not need to continuously numb themselves with alcohol.

[FeelingOpaque]

But MoxieDoxie, are you genuinely happy or are you just numbing yourself to believe that? If you are living well and feel.to an extent content then who is to say that there is anything wrong with your behaviors?

[MoxieDoxie]

Originally Posted by FeelingOpaque

But MoxieDoxie, are you genuinely happy or are you just numbing yourself to believe that? If you are living well and feel.to an extent content then who is to say that there is anything wrong with your behaviors?

What? Are you saying there is nothing wrong drining yourself to death?

[tealBumblebee]

Originally Posted by Poppy Princess

Is it okay to just be okay with cutting? It's not making my life any worse so I don't see why I should stop.

People say I should stop and I ask, "why?"

They have the same list of reasons every time. Most of the reasons are just so unlikely to happen that I'd have to be trying to cause some real damage. If it makes me feel better then why not do it?

I specifically worked hard to find a post like this. I've just recently started back SI and I don't see the point in stopping if its not causing problems in daily living. It's considered a "negative coping mechanism" but i'm starting to think maybe its just a bad habit - like stress eating, taking out anger and lashing out at unexpected family/friends, drinking. If you're not doing it to kill yourself, i'm with you, why not?

[Idiot17]

Agree with tealbumblebee. It's not a negative coping mechanism any more than stress eating.

[x_BabyG_x]

Every single day I get increasingly closer to relapsing and I'm finding myself searching for reasons why it's okay to do it. But I don't know whether it's my alter ego talking me In to it or not.

[adam_k]

I think self harm does a lot more psychological damage than you realise at first. You are feeling unable to cope and out of control and the feelings from self harm provide some temporary relief. They make you feel somewhat in control and ok for a while. At the same time you are developing a lot of angry that you are directing towards yourself. For me it becomes a cycle. I don't want to say an addiction, because I feel it is more like self punishment than an escape. I have never felt good after it. Sometimes numb or sometime less depressed, but I have never felt like it was a good thing. When I do it it become a vicious cycle. I get overwhelmed by something happening, and then I do it. I blame myself for whatever and feel like I have to. Then I feel ashamed of it, which makes me want to do it more. The whole time I like myself less and less until eventually I don't even think of me as me, but as someone I hate. I don't think be well and self harming is possible. I think it is too damaging. At least for me it is that way. It does different things for different people. For me self harming is a sign that things are getting well beyond my ability to cope.