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How to Admit to Cutting Yourself

The UK has one of the highest self-harm rates in the whole of Europe with an estimated 400 inevery 100,000 people regularly hurting themselves. Self-harming is when somebody intentionally injures themselves, usually as a way to cope with or to express, overwhelming emotional distress. People tend to use it as a way to punish themselves or relieve tension. Most self-harmers find it difficult for them to express their emotions outside of self-harm and may feel that this is their only outlet.Many people who self-harm don’t do so with the intention to end their lives, but more than half of the people who die by suicide have a recorded history of hurting themselves. More often than not self-harm is a cry for help, and if you are struggling to stop, or trying to support and encourage a loved one to stop, you should get additional assistance and guidance.If you (or someone you know) are self-harming, read on to learn why you need to stop and how to start your path to recovery. But, most importantly you can learn how you can overcome and control the emotions that tell you to hurt yourself, by understanding your inner feelings and emotions.

Why Should I Stop?

Self-harm can be very dangerous. Even those who do not intentionally want to kill themselves may often hurt themselves to the extent where they accidentally do. There is a risk of infection, blood poisoning, permanent scars, disfigurement and many other serious conditions. Furthermore, self-harm isn’t a healthy way to express emotion, often leaving people scarred both mentally and physically for the rest of their life. People who self-harm need to learn better ways to tackle their overwhelming emotions and look for different outlets so that they can find a healthier way to express their feelings. The earlier and quicker a self-harmer changes their ways, the more likely they are to stay away from this detrimental habit and work towards a more positive expression of their emotions.

Accept and Admit You Have a Problem

The first thing that someone who self-harms needs to do is admit that they have a problem and accept that they need to do something about it. Sometimes, self-harmers will tell others that they are fine, hiding their scars (both mentally and physically), while secretly believing that hurting themselves is the only way that they can release their pain. Some may even try to fool themselves into believing everything is fine as they don’t cause severe damage and want to continue this painful ritual. But this is wrong. Self-harm isn’t needed to express emotions, no matter how overwhelming or scary they may feel.Talking to your family about your issues is the perfect first step in admitting that you have a problem. Speak to your siblings or parents and tell them about the emotions you feel and why you think self-harm is the only way to express them. From there, you can work together to help you accept the understanding that self-harm is wrong and you don’t need to do it to feel good. If talking to your family seems difficult, especially if they may be the cause of your negative emotions, then talking to a counsellor can be the best path for you.

Try to Resolve the Problem

Sometimes identifying and processing the reasons behind your self-harming can be difficult. You may struggle to understand your many emotions and be afraid of looking beneath the surface to find the source of your unhappiness in case it makes you feel worse. Speaking to a counsellor can really help you to find the cause of your feelings and find healthier ways for you to manage them. They can provide unbiased and expert advice on how to resolve your problem by improving your mental wellbeing. Counsellors know how to get the root of any issues and emotions to help you to understand why you have these unbearable urges. With this information, they can then work with you to overcome these feelings. They will know the best tips and tricks that you can use to control and express yourself, especially if you have been self-harming as a result of your anxiety or depression.In therapy, you will also learn to accept your faults and understand that you should love yourself as every part of you, the good and the bad, make up who you are. Self-harm definitely shouldn’t be a means to punish yourself. You need to embrace your individuality and learn that nobody is perfect. Once you understand this, overcoming your self-hate and self-harming should be so much easier. This may be hard to do by yourself, so the support of a therapist can be greatly influential.Self-harm is never the way to express emotion or as a means to punish yourself. There are healthier ways to make you feel better and to address your issues. Although stopping this harmful habit can be hard, if you seek outside help and are committed to being honest and open, you can change your life. If you think you could benefit from therapy, then contact me today for more information on how I can help you to understand the reasons behind your self-harming and get started on the road to recovery.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]