How can I stop feeling ashamed of my scars left from my self-harm after recovery?

Think about it this way : you being able to recover is a massive step compared to when you were still self-harming. Being able to go that far is an achievement already. The scars? They're proof that you've gone that far better, that you've recovered.

This is a tough question. I used to self-harm, and for a long time I struggled with the shame of it. But one day I heard a song that discussed something similar, and it gave me a different view. My scars show where I came from, not who I am now. They remind me of where I came from and how much I've grown. People may ask now if I was a cutter, but I don't have any problem now sharing that I used to struggle with things and I was a cutter, but I've been free from that for many many year now. Maybe find something that you can change the picture that your scars mean to you from something shameful to something that is worth knowing you've come so far.

I'm not sure that the shame will ever go away, not completely, if you keep focusing on them. Try to forget that they're there. Build an existence completely removed from them and where you were when they were made. Have experiences that doesn't involve them at all, grow as a person. And then the next time you see someone staring, you'll just realise that, yes they're staring. But you may find that you don't really care.

Realize that those scars don't just demonstrate how you self harmed and suffered they also show how much pain you managed to get through and get over. It's important we realize that we don't have to cover our scars with tattoos or anything. Cause our scars tell our stories of suffering surviving and thriving.

There's always an element of shame when someone asks. I guess it just takes time. I draw on them and make them look as pretty as possible. I once had a child count each one of mine, but i was also once refused a pencil back with a sharpener in it because of my scars. I just try to remember that it is in the past and i'm stronger now. You are stronger too for getting through your personal hell and only came out with scars instead of losing your life. Try to surround yourself with people who are understanding and willing to talk about it, but the first step to that is you also being willing to talk about it.

You just have to not think of them too much, and maybe even start to love them, step by step. They are a reminder of a bad place where you once were, but you are so much stronger now and you have gone through that place to be happier. You should never feel ashamed of the scars on your body, whether they are from self harming or from weight gain. You are beautiful just the way you are, nobody can tell you otherwise. You are now a strong person, and the scars are battle scars from the bad place you were once in, to remind you that you survived

Scars are remnants of experiences that have impacted our life. Like wrinkles, smile-lines, crows feet...they are reminders that we are not only alive, but we have survived our worst days and have made it this far. Society tells us that they are ugly, but there is often no beauty in a completely blank canvas; your scars are part of your story, a chapter in life that you were fighting a really difficult battle. Battles are okay, scars from them are okay. Most people don't walk away from battle unscathed. Be proud of your scars. They're proof you made it :)