I freaking can't stop

me too. literally have been going through a rough time and i end up having small panic attacks when i cry too much & find that cutting myself is the only thing that stops it. it sucks so much. i’m trying to stop myself though. i know there are better ways to deal with it. but it’s especially hard when i blame myself or when i feel like people aren’t understanding me and just getting upset with me. i’m trying to make a deal with myself to not self harm.. setting goals and all that and rewarding myself when i don’t do it for time periods. like each time period would grow (so like a week to a month to 6 months to a year, etc) i feel like it will work, so you could also try something similar. you’ve got this!!

@rainyday768,

Hey there , I hear you. I understand why its difficult for you to stop. Self harm is a slippery path to go down to. But that reason may not always be enough to stop us. I know that. I understand why you *had * to continue. I am so sorry you had to , you deserved so much more, all of us does .

Had I been in your shoes, i would have had mixed feelings about stopping SH too. While all of us know that the best thing to do is stop , the willingness to stop cannot always be stronger than the willingness to cut . Many shares the same emotions. And it's very valid. Because though SH is unhealthy, it's a coping method. It's difficult for any of us to get off our coping strategies. SH serves a purpose for those who do it. To punish oneself, to validate there struggle, to release stress or "evil", to feel numb, to stop feeling numb etc. And after everything life is capable of throwing our way , each of those reasons are very valid. None of us deserve to go through this. And I am so sorry that you have to at the moment.

I know it's not easy on you right now. It's a struggle to tone down the urges. You cannot stop yourself from giving into the temptations. I understand that. And I know it's not fair for you.

Self harm can be more manageable if you can sort out the feelings that makes you do it. You know it's serious responses from our side to cope with depression or trauma. The more we hide from those thoughts , the more we give our demons the power to haunt us down. However it's easier said than done. It not easy to talk about them openly. I know that. And I am so so much proud that you post this here. The courage you took in is so awesome. It's a huge step!!

@rainyday768,

You can also check out self help guides 7 cups give us, to make self harm more manageable. You can get a bigger picture about it.

Remember that support is always available. I know , sometimes, you may not always get all the support you deserve and need , life is not always fair. But you deserve it. Always.

This is a link to a long list of alternatives self harm we have cups . Not all of them may work for all of us. But I hope you can get a few thats useful for you.

https://www.7cups.com/forum/SelfHarmRecovery_65/InformationandResources_1079/SELFHARMALTERNATIVES_2480/