how has self harm helped you?

has it at all?

I post this thread because for me, it's given me an outlet and a release- also it's helped me realise that things are worse than I first thought, so it means I can understand myself better

For me

It calms the voices...

When my teachers discovered my self-harm scars, I've been sent to a therapist
After 6 months of therapy my depression was gone and I've stopped cutting myself ^o^

It didn't help at all - after some years I'm a bit embarrassed for them. But it used to give me a temporary relief, made me feel I live and it was real (sometimes I had a problem to distinct what is true)

It gave me enough of an outlet, that it kept me from SU attempts many times.

splitimage

Keeps from su attempts and calms the “voices” -sometimes

For me it kept me from SU attempts and it grounded me when I would feel my life getting out of control. Thats why I would SI frequently when I was at work.

i havent self injured for about an month now i want to self injure i cant get tools to use as my husband threw them out in hope i'll no longer self injure but i have used other things to self injure when i can find them other wise i have nothing to use and i feel like i need it it keeps me alive really he use to self injure him self but he says i need to stop if i want to change my gender i have to be stable he dont get that i need it

yes.. I can see how it can.

I've not attempted for a while now- since april 2016, and I do think it's all thanks to SI

Sometimes it's enough to get me out of the house and let me pretend that I am a real person.

It helps me ground myself if I'm dissociating and it's an outlet for anxiety. I struggle with both self harm and an eating disorder, and often feel that when one gets better, the other one gets worse, so in a way it also helps me cope with my ED.

It's also a way to express all the anger and emotions I feel, but can't express in other ways.

It calms me down and helps me get back to reality. Sometimes, when I'm overwhelmed by anger or anxiety it makes me feel more at peace. Kind of like a hug. A painful hug.

It kept me alive and helped me survive during my childhood and adolescence. These days it helps me when I'm dealing with a bad bipolar episode and I'm suicidal and depressed. It's just another unhealthy coping mechanism like eating or drinking as far as I'm concerned. I've done it off and on for most of my life so it's hard to stop when things aren't going well. I can go months or years without doing it when I'm stable but it's always there as an emergency measure I know will help for a while. I know it's not healthy but sometimes it's hard just to stay alive so I figure I'll use whatever tools I can.

It helped me by giving me just enough relief that I didnt kill myself as a young teenager. It gave me a coping mechanism, even if it was a poor one, that kept me going.

It’s helped me “punish” myself and later on, I feel a sense of calm.