How can I stop cutting?

Throw away all the sharp objects from your house. Get help from a counselor or a friend to help you identify core issues. If you feel the urge to cut yourself, try a different harmless object (e.g., use elastic band).

write down what is making you sad and tear the paper up instead of tearing your skin, throw them into a bucket or box and never look at them again, feel the problems disappear from your hands and your life, you'll feel better for it

Something that had helped me was putting a rubber band on my wrist. I would flick it and it would make the urge go away. Another thing is marking where youd normally cut with a red pen.

Distraction is a great tool. Normally with most issues I would say to acknowledge them, which is important. However, at the time that you feel you are having urges to harm yourself, you can; -Call someone. A friend or self help line can help. Talking it out is great over time to help resolve deeper issues -Go for a run. Sometimes exerting yourself in a more productive way can help -Write. Write anything! A journal entry about your day, a poem, a story, anything There's lots more you can do as well, taking a shower, playing with pets. I know how hard it can be to resist the temptations of what you're experiencing. If you would ever like to talk I'm almost always free! Best wishes.

Often, the urge to self harm feels very immediate. Some people find it helps to try and resist this urge for "just 5 minutes". Once the five minutes is up, they will try and resist again for a further 5 minutes. This process repeats until the urge has passed. It may also be helpful to consider other coping mechanisms which may work for you - some people find distraction helpful, or talking about what's going on for them with someone they trust (or on 7Cups). There are a lot of alternative coping mechanisms out there and a little research might help you find one which works for you!

Try using a red tempera paint or thinking of a loved ones arm, most importantly never give up keep faith in yourself and talk to someone you trust about this.

distracting yourself with other thoughts or actions, like taking a shower or doing sports or reading a good book.

Stopping self harm is a long journey. Slowly, let go of all the emotions and thoughts you have towards self harm. Find alternatives and other coping strategies and find a motive to stop hurting yourself.

That has to be you, you have to decide that cutting does not bring an end to your problems and although you may do it, whatever problem it is that is making you do it will still be there even after you do it.

Tell a friend you really trust, you really love, tell them how you feel, tell them why you feel that way. You most likely have a friend who will help you get through it. Don't worry, if you need help, we are ALL here for you.

Work with friends, family, and therapists to create successful coping mechanisms to help deal with triggers.

I used to cut before. But then I realized that it doesn't help me. It literally does nothing to get my life better. It just makes it 100x worse. I didn't do it too much, but I knew it was wrong, so I stopped. You just need to understand your priorities and you need to stop punishing yourself for the past. You have no control over it.. let it go. Cutting doesn't help at all. I understand that you're mad at yourself, but it just makes you feel worse. So please stop.

Trying alternatives to hurting yourself like using an elastic band on where you'd like to cut, drawing on yourself or using an ice cube can assist you in not cutting. Napping or even thinking on why you want to, why you need to or is it even necessary? Learning to self-love can really help in not cutting.

Identify what makes you want to cut- the pain, the distraction, the blood, etc., and find another way to replicate that. Snap a rubber band on your wrist, draw on yourself, do something else you like when you feel the urge. That being said, you also need to find the deeper root problem that's making you want to cut, and find better ways to cope with it.

I know this sounds like a very cliche answer, but go and see a therapist or a counselor. If that won't work for you, talk to a trusted adult or friends who can help you stop cutting.

Self-harm is one of the hardest things to recover from. The best thing for you to do is to seek out private or group counseling and receive professional treatment for your problems. If you can't do that, try and talk to a parent of a close friend that you trust, and ask if they can help you.

Cutting is used as an outlet - find another activity. Instead of cutting, keep your fingers busy with string (for example), or whenever you get the urge, come and talk to a trained listener. We can help soothe you.

You can try keeping yourself constantly busy like hanging out with friends, drawing, etc. You can also try the Butterfly Project, or the best is telling someone and getting professional help.

It's a process, just like anything else. People don't expect alcoholics to stop drinking by telling them "Just don't drink." That being said, it's the same for cutters. There are ways to manage the urge; snapping rubber bands on your wrist, keeping a journal of the times you got past without cutting, drawing instead of harming. But honestly you need support more than anything, so always reach out, don't do it alone.

Everyone is different, so their ways of quitting a unhealthy habit are usually different as well. Try to think of ways that you think would help distract you from the thought of cutting or motivate you not to cut. You can do it!

Stopping self harm is hard. You'll want to relapse occasionally and it'll be awful, but in the end, it is much better to deal with the pain of stopping than to hurt yourself and those around you by continuing to cut.