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Is it normal to feel the urges to self-harm after you've stopped for months?

Profile: RocketClouds
RocketClouds on May 27, 2015
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Yes, very. But it's important to remember how strong you are and how you don't need to harm yourself. And if even you do relapse, remember it's part of the recovery. You are always stronger than your urges.
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Profile: LeapingLaughter
LeapingLaughter on Sep 8, 2015
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The brain can become addicted to the endorphin rush that comes as a result of self inflicted pain. It is totally normal to feel the urge. The great thing is, you are aware of the urge - it is in your conscious mind, so you can find ways to deal with it. Consider this an excellent step on your path to healing and getting better. You've stopped for months (YAY!), AND you can identify the urge (AWESOME!). These are all good things.
Profile: mackenziemeyer14
mackenziemeyer14 on Dec 21, 2015
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Yes. This is normal. It's called a relapse. Your body is somewhat used to that pain and it in a way needs it to live. But it really doesn't. It usually take a year to a year and a half to not feel the urges anymore.
Profile: littlemisscurious
littlemisscurious on Jun 22, 2016
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Yes, it definitely is. Even after many many months without harming myself, I still felt the urge to self-harm sometimes. For me, it helped a lot to be aware that those urges occur from time to time and to think of coping strategies beforehand, just to be prepared. It's also a good idea to keep an eye on what triggers these urges and think of how you can maybe handle them better next time. Maybe you also wanna talk about it to someone or just write it down? And - very important - it's not a shame to relapse. Everyone who ever struggled with self harm knows how hard it is to quit. You already made it for a very long time and you're gonna make it again, don't grow desperate on those throwbacks - they're part of the recovering process.
Profile: CalamityLikesPie
CalamityLikesPie on Apr 24, 2015
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Yes, there has to be rain before there can be a rainbow. I promise, it's normal. If it weren't normal you wouldn't of had the problem to begin with darling.
Profile: Anonymous
Anonymous on Sep 22, 2015
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Yes. Self harm urges may not go away. It's a fall back strategy that you've gotten used to using as a way of coping with some sort of negative emotion. Remember that it will pass and that you've gotten so far in the months that you haven't self harmed, and you can make it more time. Find something that you can do that has worked in the past to stop you from acting on your urges. Reflect on what is making you feel this way, and try to find an alternate solution to the problem.
Profile: Anonymous
Anonymous on Apr 24, 2015
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It's completely normal! The urge is just you missing the feeling you got when you self-harmed. It's important to stay strong though and resist that urge. It's not worth it to go back to that kind of habit.
Profile: Anonymous
Anonymous on Jul 24, 2017
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Absolutely. Self-harm is addictive and the neural pathway is incredibly strong. I can be going about my business without giving it a second thought for months, and suddenly I'm facing urges just as strong as when I was at my worst. In my experience, time has decreased the frequency of the urges, but the intensity can still be high. However, repeatedly fighting back has also made me better at dealing with them when they arise. I know it can feel incredibly disheartening when you face those same dilemmas after months of work. I just want to offer you hope and strength as you work through them. It's not going to be easy, but it will get easier.
Profile: Anonymous
Anonymous on May 8, 2015
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Yes, it's normal, but you have to find ways to distract yourself to stop the urge. Why would you want to break your record? Keep going and soon you won't even think about it!
Profile: Anonymous
Anonymous on Aug 17, 2015
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Yes. I think so. I still feel that sometimes way even after years. But, it does get easier to control the urges and urges get less frequent as well.
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