Does it count as self-harm if my intention is not to hurt myself?

Never mind, I answered my own question in posting this.

I don't think self harm is about hurting yourself. It provides temporary (emotional) pain relief.

Good point, thank you!

But what about the physical damage? Doesn't that cause harm to the self? It is part of the equation...

What is your intention?

Sometimes my intent is to let of frustration. I hit the desk until I bled. Other times my intent is to hurt myself (in other ways).

That's a common reason. Of course it still counts as self-harm.

Okay, thanks for the info.

that's self harm. it's a coping mechanism and your unhealthu way of trying to take care of yourself.

What if you did it for another reason like for example i hit myself in the face but its self harm because im trying to prevent suicide by not thinking about anything but pain basically to clear my head but its left a nasty bruise

Hon, you're describing self harm. It is what it is. It's what you are doing to possibly avoid something worse. Are you looking for someone to rationalize this for you? In my opinion, part of coming to terms with my own days of self harm was to face the truth that what I was doing was staying alive the only way that I knew how. Everything changed when I learned new coping strategies and I learned how to use them without thinking. I fortunately found a decent therapist and worked on me. Not easy but worth it.