Is it bad to self-harm as a way of managing emotions?

In some ways it can be as it is physically harming you, however you shouldn't be ashamed. It is normal of the pain to be a distraction to your mental pain, however there are other ways of doing this without causing any physical harm. I'm sure you have all heard of the method of putting an elastic bad or hair tie around our wrist and when you feel so much mental pain you can't deal with it, to ping it back. This will cause enough pain to distract you from the mental pain, however it will not physically harm you . :)

Yes it's bad to self-harm for managing emotions. There is much better ways to manage your emotions than to hurt yourself! There are great tips all over 7 cups here! It's amazing all the things you can do! Listen to music! Read a book! Or even talk to somebody here!

It is normal to get mad at yourself sometimes. I'm not gonna tell you that it's bad, because that would make me a hypocrite. What I mean to say is that it's okay to feel the way you do when you self-harm, but there can be other ways to deal with them. :)

while self-harm is a relatively common way of dealing with unpleasant emotions, it's not necessarily the healthiest way to do so because you're actively hurting yourself. while it's very important to not be overly harsh on yourself for self-harm, it IS important to seek professional help for it and find some other ways to manage your emotions, like by seeking comfort with loved ones, engaging in a hobby, exercising, sleep, etc. self-harm is a tough habit to kick, but it's completely possible to recover.

As someone who has self-harmed in the past, I understand how if can feel like it helps with emotion management. However, it is only a temporary solution to a larger problem and in my experience will more likely lead to more problems than solutions.

It is not always bad, especially when the surge of emotions are so overwhelming. in a way, it may have been the best way at the moment. however, you can't let it happen too often. you have to learn a more positive way to face it. there are a lot of coping skills made for it :)

Self-harm definitely isn't the best way to manage emotions. It helps relieve you of your pain, so when you're doing it, it feels like the best possible thing to do. There are multiple options that are alternatives to self-harm.

It is very bad. Self-harm damages your body terribly, especially if you cut- the scars could become problems later on in life. It's destructive and dangerous, and it doesn't do anything to eliminate your problems or negative feelings.

Yes I feel it is a very harmful way to manage emotions. As a person who spent years doing this, it never helped like I thought it would. After getting support from my therapist, family and friends, I was able to stop and talk my feelings out. Thus feeling a lot better in the long run!

You'll be scared for life. So if ever their is a time in your future where you have better ways of coping, you'll be stuck with the scars forever and it could cause upset and distress to other. There are better ways of coping.. Seek to better understand your emotions, what you want and how to deal with life when things aren't going the way that you hoped.

Yes because self harm doesnt fix your problems. All it does really i make pain for yourself so you dont have to think about the bad things in your life.

Self harming often manages to remove the unwanted emotion and can be effective in the short term. However, as time goes on in can lead to bigger problems then first existed.

Yes. Self-harming is a way of stemming the emotion as opposed to actually dealing with it. It's important to deal with the emotions properly, through talking to people, professionally or otherwise, rather than self-harming.

yes, it is very bad, try to do everything different from self-harm: write, sing, play music, draw or paint, distract yourself

Self-harm is not the answer! Find a hobby or do something that makes you happy. Never hurt yourself it doesnt solve anything

yes, because there are better ways of managing your emotions and damaging your beautiful skin won't make you feel any better :)💕

It's bad because it's a negative coping method--meaning it does work as a coping method, but it's a coping method that adds more pain and stress to your life instead of decreasing it.

It is not bad to self harm but there are so many better ways to release your emotions for example you can channel all of your anger into a talent or a hobby

It is never a smart coping mechanism to self harm due to hard emotions. It can lead to self hate, more questions, and an overall overwhelming feeling days after.

no because it is a very unhealthy habit try ounching a pillow or talking to someone you trust or listen to happy music you will get through it:)

There are a lot of better ways to deal with emotions, you should try some relaxation techniques or talk to someone professional or close to you

Yes. It is. It is very bad. Everyone copes in their own way. However, it is not good on your healthy to hurt yourself. It has been proven that physically harming yourself can make you more depressed.

There are lots of reasons why people self harm. One reason why some people self harm is because they are not sure how else to cope with difficult emotions, and they feel that self harming alleviates their distress for a little while. In that way, self harm is not 'bad' because it is providing relief. However, often the relief doesn't last long, so looking at other ways of managing emotions can be really helpful. If a person would like to learn other ways of managing their emotions, the more they understand about their self harm, the more equipped they are to make different choices. You can ask yourself questions like: when does the self harm occur - what triggers it? Situations, thoughts, feelings etc. What does the urge feel like? Do you feel like you need immediate relief from overwhelming thoughts/feelings, or is it because you feel numb? What does the self harm achieve? Does it distract you, give you something to focus on, or something else? Sometimes writing down how you feel before and after self harm can help you answer some of these questions. Finding out when/why it happens can help you find alternatives. If racing thoughts are a trigger, taking a few deep breaths can help. Push your palms together, name a few things around you that you can see, hear, and feel. If the self harm is a distraction then doing something like drawing and colouring in shapes can help. Different things work for different people so sometimes you might have to try a few different things before you find something you like. And it's absolutely ok for them not to 'work' every time. These are all short term things to try to alleviate immediate distress if you would prefer not to self harm. Unfortunately, managing our emotions is not easy, that's just part of being human, and we all have to look for, and try, and discover what works for each of us.