[The Fox & the Hound]

I have urges to cut, but I have never cut before. I have never injured myself to where it left a mark, but I still have really, really strong urges.

I'm really tempted to start SI,I've been really depressed lately, & I need something to take my mind of it

[grey_aj]

I don't know what to say except for please please don't. Once you start, you can't go back and it takes a long time (a LONG time) to get over it, plus lots of anguish and paranoia and guilt and shame etc. Trust me and everyone else in this forum on that.

Really try to find ways to distract yourself, it's different for each person. For example, I just go sleep or journal or dance it out or stuff my face with peanut butter. Find out what works for you and go with it.

Best of luck to you...

- AJ

Originally Posted by ajbpdljhsk

I don't know what to say except for please please don't. Once you start, you can't go back and it takes a long time (a LONG time) to get over it, plus lots of anguish and paranoia and guilt and shame etc. Trust me and everyone else in this forum on that.

Really try to find ways to distract yourself, it's different for each person. For example, I just go sleep or journal or dance it out or stuff my face with peanut butter. Find out what works for you and go with it.

Best of luck to you...

- AJ

I don't have much to add to this.

If I could go back I would never have started this. It has taken over my life at times, and even when I'm not actually cutting, I'm thinking about it. Either how ashamed I am, how horrible the scars are, how I know they will never heal and fade fully, or I think about adding to them. Because what does it matter when they're already there?

The emotions that go with the cutting are not easy to live with. Like AJ said, paranoia, guilt, shame, anguish....

And it is addictive. It won't be a one off thing. I've been doing this for 9 years, I stopped for 11 months once but then I started up again worse than ever before.

It really isn't worth it so please don't give in to the urges.

[gayleggg]

I've heard using a rubber band around you wrist and snapping it helps dispell the urge.

[falsememory7]

Fox, I know you're curious, and that sometimes these really really strong urges are so incredibly difficult to fight, but it's not worth it. Trust me. I SIed for a couple years, and after I started, it was nearly impossible to stop. I slapped, I hit, I burned, and I cut... But after each SI, the urges only became stronger and harder to fight it, and I wound up doing it every day, sometimes several times a day... And then the depression, and the sadness, and the loneliness becomes magnified where it's unbearable. Try to do something else to ignore the urges, and one day it'll start to dissipate and go away, little by little. Please don't start, I can tell you're so strong - hang on there. You're not alone.