I went back to self-harm TW Self harm

I don’t know what do i was 1 week clean from doing any self-harm but i went back to doing it i just don’t know what to do any it’s just worse then before.

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Hey friend! Thank you for reaching out here :))

I, myself, struggled and still continue to with the cycle of self harm. So I can definitely understand the feeling of the disappointment you might be feeling for relapsing. I lost a 26 day streak not too long ago and I felt very disappointed in myself. Though, I would like to remind you that relapsing is okay and a part of recovery. Self harm is an addiction and is hard to overcome. But it is not impossible.
Take small steps and you’ll eventually succeed, I’m sure of that.

There are quite some alternative things you could try, for when the urge comes back; such as drawing either lines, flowers or other symbols in the places you want to harm. Or you could try putting glue on your skin, letting it dry and then pulling it off. Or, something that I’ve tried personally is using a hair tie around my wrist and snapping it against the skin.

I also want to encourage you to lock or throw away the things you use to harm yourself.

I wish you the best, stay strong!

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I’ve been using the hair tie thing it has been helping me but i just couldn’t do it anymore so i just gave into the urge of cutting but i learned my lesson from it i got caught doing it.

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Hey @Horselover200246,

We’re often used to say it around here, but relapses happen. It’s not to diminish the importance of what happened of convey the message that it would be okay to let ourselves dive into it. It’s only to emphasize the fact that recovery is made of many steps, and some of them are more difficult than others. Also to fight against a possible feeling of guilt that comes with it. This relapse happened, but it doesn’t mean that your recovery is over or you wouldn’t be able to get back on your feet. :hrtlegolove:

As you mentioned “getting caught” for doing it, I assume it might be by family members? Or at least relatives. And as you said you don’t know what to do, then I’d like to encourage you to get the workbook ReWrite, which is available as a printed book or a digital one:

It’s a really good resource provided by HeartSupport, both for someone who struggles with self-harm and for loved ones who want to understand and help. I believe you can really find a crutch by using it, and have pratical ways inside of it to help you think about what you can do to take a step further in your recovery.

On a different note, I recommend you the free app Calm-Harm, which provides plenty of alternatives/ideas of things to do instead of hurting yourself. It’s based on how you feel/what is your need at the moment, and can be a good source of ideas in order to resist against the urges to hurt yourself. I even use it just when my anxiety gets crazy or when I notice that I’m being too hard on myself:

You got this, friend. One day at a time. We believe in you. :hrtlegolove:

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“(As you mentioned “getting caught” for doing it, I assume it might be by family members”)
[. My mom caught me doing it after i did it

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How was it? Did she react in a supportive way? If you’re willing to share, of course.

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It went alright but i got a huge warning from her if i get caught again i’m going to psych ward then having to deal with my grandparents for doing it

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