Cutting quit

Tell someone you trust about your feelings. This is one of the hardest steps. Chances are, if you’ve been hiding out for months, or maybe even years, and covering up all of your problems, it is going to be very difficult to suddenly open up. However, confiding in somebody who is trustworthy will be well worth it; they will be able to give you advice, support, help you understand your emotions, and be an alternative outlet rather than cutting. Don’t be discouraged if they seem shocked, scared, or maybe even horrified. Of course it will have a massive impact on them. Wait for the person to come to terms with the situation. However, always be sure to confide in someone who you know will help you. Telling someone who will make your situation worse is a bad idea (and seriously, these people exist). Talk to this person whenever you have the urge to cut. When you feel like cutting yourself, confide in a teacher, school counselor, parent, friend, relative, etc. If they don’t know about your current struggle, tell them about it and tell them you need their help to keep yourself from cutting again. Keep a hotline number with you at all times. When you feel the urge to cut, pick up the phone and call the hotline. Crisis hotline staff are trained to provide support and offer you alternatives to cutting yourself. If you haven’t gathered the courage to open up to someone close to you yet, then talking anonymously on an untracked hotline would be a good idea. Whenever you feel like cutting yourself, call the hotline number and tell them how you’re feeling. Soon, you will start to learn a lot more about your emotions. The staff will be able to help you view your situation in a more positive way. Remember that to a professional crisis clinician. It is clear that it is not their job to “talk you out of” cutting yourself - you make your own choices and you must take responsibility for either cutting or not cutting. However, talking to your GP or another professional and notifying them of your situation will help. They may be able to tell you if you have the symptoms of a disease or disorder (Depression, etc) that may be contributing/causing you to cut. They may also be able to refer you to a clinic or support group. Remove cutting tools from your immediate area. If you have time to search for something to cut yourself with, you may just be able to crush the impulse. One minute can determine whether or not you self harm. Don’t keep sharp objects on your table, and don’t put razors in a close drawer or cupboard. Remove anything which you may use to cut yourself. Put other “cutting tools” wrapped up in boxes and high up on hard-to-reach shelves.

Scars remain foreverIdentify the ‘trigger’ that gives you the urge to cut. The moment you have the urge to cut, stop and think of what has just occurred. Remember it and try to avoid these situations. For example, if you’ve just had an argument with somebody close to you, and are having the urge to cut, stop and ask yourself what’s making you feel this way; “I feel like cutting myself because I’ve just had an argument with somebody I love, and it’s making me feel really bad.” Determine what in particular makes this situation trigger off negative emotions-a certain feeling, or maybe an action? Then work on reducing this issue until you have it under control or completely diminished. If you need to hurt yourself, do it in a controlled and less harmful way. A good idea is to wear a rubber band around your wrist. Every time you want to cut, snap the rubber band against your wrist instead. You can also draw on your wrist with red pen, or rub an ice cube on your wrist. Although all of these cause some immediate pain, it is much milder and much less dangerous. Express your emotions. For example, when you feel like cutting, try doing one or more of the following: Drawing or scribbling on paper Painting, on white paper Listening to music that relates to your emotions Writing down your emotions in a diary/journal Writing songs/poetry Call a friend After a day or so, analyse what you have done. Try to determine how you felt, and what you can do to reduce or stop these emotions, or work around them. Distract yourself. Some people feel that rather than analysing their emotions, they feel better when they get rid of them or forget them completely. When you feel the urge to cut, try distracting yourself by trying out the following: Drink a glass of water Watch TV Do some form of exercise-run, walk, ride your bike, or just dance like crazy Take your dog for a walk, or spend some time with a pet As soon as you feel the urge to cut yourself, take a deep breath, fold your arms, close your eyes and relax. Tell yourself that you are not going to cut. Get away from any objects you may use to harm yourself, so that it’s not as easy to break your resolution. If possible, lie down somewhere. Stay like this until the urge goes, then quickly phone a helpline or use another means of getting help. Screaming at the top of your lungs helps. Try virtually anything you can (as long as it’s legal and healthy) to stop the urge to cut. Screaming into a pillow or finding a quiet place to let rip really helps. Speak out loud about what is causing you so much pain. Talk about it - even to yourself, in the privacy of your bedroom: even yelling to yourself to release the tension inside of you - but do not cut or hurt yourself at all. Talking out loud in clear, understandable words will make your situation clearer and more easy to resolve. Help yourself by imagining how you are able to be like a best friend. As if a friend was just about to cut herself, what would you say to stop your good friend? How would you distract them, how would you support them and get them to stop? Apply all of these answers to yourself. Recognize that cutting is just the symptom of a root problem. Now you are ready to seek and get help. Doctors and trained staff from all kinds of services have been taught especially to help people in your situation. No matter what your issue, age, gender, or background, never feel ashamed to seek help. Love yourself No matter what anyone else tells or or what you think they think about you, you should love yourself. When you love someone you don’t hurt them, love yourself and don’t hurt yourself.

TipsTo stop yourself from cutting consider seeking help from a doctor, parent, friend, or counselor to address the deeper problems that make you want to cut in the first place. Do not be ashamed to ask for support when you need it, as this affliction affects people from all walks of life. Remember you are not your enemy. You love yourself - therefore, inflicting pain on you is wrong. Snapping a rubber band on your wrist is a way to reduce infection but is still a form of self-harm so use with caution - although it can be a good tool to use in transition to entirely stopping. Don’t let people judge you either - it makes things much harder. Believe in yourself. If you ever need help always find someone you trust having them right next to you is always helpful even if it is just for a hug. Going cold turkey is not always the best way to go. Set limits for yourself. Create a shoe box - Grab an old shoe box and decorate with items that mean something to you (family photos, hobbies, friends, etc.) and then put the items you use to cut in the box. Before you put the lid on the box make a list of 50-100 things to try before you resort to cutting (such as: walking, jogging, plant a flower, pet a cat, watch 20 minutes of tv, read 5 pages in a book, organize a drawer, make a thinking of you card for a friend, call a friend, call an aunt/uncle, etc) This way if you get past everyone that means something to you, you can try everything on the list before grabbing the tools. Put this list on top of the tools and put the lid on the box. The butterfly project. When you have the urge to cut draw a butterfly where you want to cut. Now you don’t want the butterfly to die so it has to wear off into the wild to be free. In this time you have to hold the urge to cut and if you do cut wash the butterfly away because it didn’t make it to be free in the wild.

WarningsSelf-mutilation can lead to infections and permanent scars. Cutting is dangerous. Particularly if you are not fully in control of your behavior, there is a possibility that you may accidentally hit an artery and possibly even bleed to death. If you begin bleeding profusely and cannot stop it, do not hesitate to seek medical care. If you are cutting your arms deeply, you risk of damaging tendons and potentially cripple your hand. The visual effects of the cuts could inflict pain on the people you love such as friends and family. Be careful when using online forums and look for ones that are there to help you. If at any time you are not comfortable in a forum, leave or contact one of the moderators/webmaster. Be particularly wary of forums that appear to encourage you to post photographs of your scars or injuries in exchange for praise and/or encouragement. Self harm can ruin relationships with the ones who mean most to you. Try to stop for the sole reason of having that one person or those people with you. Just because some famous people may cut themselves doesn’t mean you should too. These celebrities are probably suffering from depression. Do it for you. Love and respect yourself enough to be able to stop on your own