I harm myself on purpose. I never do it because I need to cope, I do it because I like the pain and like to have something on my body. I know I should stop, but I don't want to. Why is that?

Self harm is a way to release the pain you are going through. You may not do it to cope but instead let out some of your anger at yourself. I use to do it as well, I found when I stopped and that I felt mods confident within myself. It is difficult to give up as self harm can become an addictive thing. I used to harm myself on purpose as well, I have been clean for over 12 months and have tattooed over the areas where I hurt myself. It has made me more confident in the long run to have art instead of scars.

It is likely that you're experiencing an addiction to the pain. Self harm can often cause the release of endorphins, a chemical the helps with stress. The important thing in stopping self harm is to identify what triggers this behaviour, and then to find alternatives. There are many other activities that may cause positive pain, eg. exercise. It is important to find something healthy that you can undertake instead of self harm. Doing this may mean trying a variety of activities that may not work at first and that's totally okay. Have fun with it and take it as an opportunity to try new things!

People self- harm as a coping mechanism for whats happening in their lives as its the only way they believe thats the only pain they can control and feel helpless. There are many alternatives which are much safer. For example Snap a rubber band against your wrist or Use a red marker pen to draw or write words on the place where you want to cut,Write down exactly how you are feeling in a diary – or if you’d prefer to, just scribble everything out,Take part in high-intensity exercise; like circuit training, boxing, running or swimming,Find somewhere isolated and scream as loudly as you possibly can (alternatively do it into a cushion) whose are just some examples but you should really reach out to a loved one or friend or teacher or parent and tell them how you feel not to hold in in.

It could be related to some sort of trauma caused by any type of abuse, a sign of distress or a way to cope with difficult feelings in life. This issue has to be addressed as soon as possible or it might become a habit and also a risk factor for future suicide attempts. Some people self-harm themselves as a result of some sort of mental illness, but not all people have mental illness, in case they are accompanied by troubling thoughts or feelings it's important that the doctor knows about it, in other less severe cases talking about the problems affecting the patient with a listener is a good approach, writing, practicing relaxation exercises and even talking to friends also.

If you keep returning to something because it gives you comfort in some way, then that is still totally a coping mechanism! For many, physical pain is a distraction from emotional pain. When we experience pain our body also releases endorphins, which lessen the experience of pain and stress and can even result in a "high". Essentially when we self harm we get "happy chemicals" which can become addictive just like a drug that releases the same endorphins. Often times when we seek out the comfort of pain or drugs it is to fill a void or cover up a wound. Ultimately we have to address the wound from which we seeking comfort in the first place to address the unwanted behavior.

When we cause ourselves harm we can control it. It is often a way to take control, because we can not control the world around us. It is also a way to distract from emotional pain, because physical pain is often easier for us to handle than emotional pain. Another reason may be subconscious or unconscious guilt, shame, or anger. Inflicting pain on one's self is a way of punishing for perceived wrongdoing. Some claim it is because of masochism, which is purposeful infliction of pain due to a pleasurable response. But this is more complicated than a simple pain and pleasure relationship. We are wired to avoid pain, so the enjoyment of pain is not simply that, there are underlying drives at play.

Cutting releases endorphins - the body's natural pain killers. In a way, it gets you a little bit high. This makes it an addictive behavior, which is very hard to break. The good news is that there are other activities that can replace the things you like about cutting, and are healthier. For endorphins, exercise it the literature go-to. The trick is to find exercise you enjoy doing for at least 15 minutes (preferably longer), because if you do less (at a time) you don't really get the happy chemicals in your brain. As for marking your body, tattoos and piercings are more socially acceptable than scars, and give rise to more artistic possibilities. Just make sure to get them safely :)

Oh same! It's also really hard to explain to others that nothing is really wrong. Well, something is but reasons vary. What "helped" me a lot with explaining it was to create stories around everything I did and make it look like this really happened. No healthy behaviour but it helps control it a little more because finding a good story is hard. Otherwise if you don't want to stop the only thing you can do is take care of what you're doing to yourself, proper bandaging and desinfection of course. Take care of yourself and always use clean utensils. I hope this was somewhat helpful.

My thinking is that you are the only one that has the answer to that question. Maybe before you do it again ask yourself "Why exactly am I doing this?" I could only give you my best guesses as to why you do that, but I don't think any of them would help you. Why is it you like to have something on your body? What makes you not want to stop? What lead to doing it in the first place? These are the questions I think you should ask yourself. Maybe you'll find your answer that way. I hope this helps.

Harming yourself is a way of telling your body that it is okay to release the stress in this way. I am sure you like seeing the blood too. Next time instead of harming yourself. Take a few ice cubes and place it on the spot you normally harm yourself then put red food coloring all over it to act as the blood and take your fingers and spread it around. That is the best way to get the same effect without the harm. I really encourage you to try this. Please reach out to me if you have ant other questions or need some help/tips. Thanks!!