How do I stop urges to hurt myself?

There's no single answer to solve this, but there are many different ways that one can make an effort, often depending on the motivation for cutting. Some possible outlets might include Writing, Exercise, listening to music, talking to a friend, playing videogames, and so on. If the reason for cutting is to stop racing thoughts, find an activity that takes a lot of mental effort and concentration. If the reason is to express feelings, choose something expressive, such as music or poetry. If the motivation is to punish ones self, consider exercising. This is only a small number of possible fixes - there are many outlets to help prevent self harm!

Distraction. I know everyone says this, and distraction "doesn't work". But really, it does, once you're so focused on something else, the urge to harm yourself will fade into the background, even if it's temporary. Always try distraction first. I promise it may just work for you.

There are many different ways to stop self harm urges and some only work for certain people. One of my personal favorites is squeezing ice. It hurts still but doesn't leave a scar and is safe. You could also distract yourself with a book, music, writing, squeezing something soft, excersize, anything really. Do anything that makes you happy or calm.

Self help guides, cats, drawing, reading, writing, singing, dancing, coloring, painting, listening to music, going on walks, taking pictures of nature, talking to people that support you, talking on the phone, texting your best friend, talking to a psych doctor, talking to anyone of 7 Cups, eating ice cream, painting your nails, petting puppies and kittens, watching anime, catching up on missed episodes of your favorite shows, buying new things (jewelry, make up, clothes, etc.) travelling to new places, meeting new people. There are tons of things to stop the urges, you just have to have the want and drive to quit and be better than that.

There are technics to help. The butterfly project is a good one to start. Pop a rubeer band when you have an urge. You just need to get your mind away from it. Yes, it may be hard but it's better in the long run.

I started writing in a journal.

Hurting yourself and cutting is a form of coping. This most likely developed because of a need to cope with some sort of pain, anxiety, stress, or trauma (among other things). If you want to stop hurting yourself, you may want to explore other forms of coping.

Firstly, remove the objects that you can hurt yourself with. You will be much less likely to hurt yourself if objects that can are not readily available! Throw things away, lock up necessary household items, leave them with someone else. Secondly, try alternative methods to help the overwhelming urge to hurt yourself, things like holding ice, scribbling on paper, ripping things up / destroying things you don't need, screaming into a pillow, vigorous exercise can all help redirect the energy which is fuelling your urge to hurt yourself!

When I had a lot of urges to harm myself, I had a hard time keeping myself from doing so. I tried a lot of things music, tv, singing, etc. In the end th eonly thinh that really haelped me was talking to someone about my urges,

There are other ways to cope with stress/pain/other besides self harm. I've read that holding ice where you would harm yourself helps, and I'm sure it works. I know that writing helps me, I write poems telling about how I feel at the time. Everyone has different interests, but I enjoy writing. Thanks to my interest in writing, I've been clean for a month or so.