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?

Like you said, you do it to cope. And yes you know it's not healthy but your brain decided that that's what it needs so protect you from the pain. You don't want to stop because the short time pain relief it gives you overweighs the knowledge that it won't help you in the long run and probably even make it worse. Your pain is now so your brain wants to stop it now. But that doesn't make it right, you still need to stop. Just do it on your own time, recovery is messy and relapses are to be expected.

People self-harm for a variety of different reasons - they are all valid. Some people feel control, some people are trying to attract help and others do it to help them cope. Self-harm is a safety behaviour and therefore makes us feel safe short-term. The more we self-harm, the more we rely on it. This is why it can be so hard to stop! However, if you do ever decide to stop (which I hope you do eventually), your brain gets use to the fact that there is actually no danger that it needs safety behaviours for! Tackling self-harm can be difficult, but it is possible. There is an amazing app called CalmHarm which could be a good place to start!

Self-harm can be done for a variety of reasons. It's okay to like pain, I suggest trying to transition to a different form of pain. By some colored rubber bands to wear on your wrist and use them to pop yourself when you get that urge. You can also keep a pen or skin safe marker on you to write on yourself when you feel the need to have marks. This way you are doing no damage to yourself. You should try to work out why you like pain, and also why you like things on your body. These answers will help you determine the healthiest ways to graduate from the above to something that works with you, and is healthy.

Self harm is an addicting behavior. When you harm yourself, your body releases endorphins as a coping mechanism to deal with the pain. It's normal to 'like the pain', but it also complicates self harm recovery. Similar to opiate addiction and other addictions, your body starts to crave the endorphin release. When your brain is looking for something soothing or something to make it feel good, it remembers the feeling that self harm causes. If you're struggling with self harm addiction, please consider reaching out for help. There are loads of resources on this site (self help guides, therapists, forum and chat supports) and there's also a self harm text line: 741741

I think what you have is a mental or physical disorder but if not it might have to deal something in your past. It could also be that you like causing pain to yourself which is quite peculiar I must say. Well your going to have to stop cause one that not to be mean is insane and actually quite interesting. So I think something you should do is look at yourself at the mirror and repeat this. Does this help me or benefit me. Does this pain make me actually like it more. Finally if I don’t stop is there a risk of death that may occur. Well that what I got. Good luck

Harming yourself to cope and harming yourself because you like it is fundamentally the same thing. We repeat behaviours because they work and they give us a positive pay-off. You could very well be serving a personal need or value, but the WAY you are choosing to do it (self-harm) is a destructive way to go about it. The question is, is there a way to get the same positive feelings that self-harm provides but through another activity. Is there a substitute you could find? As it stands, self-harm is a double-edged sword. You may indeed gain some value from doing it, but continued self-harm is really bad for your body. The scars will build up and the more you do it the harder it will be to stop. If a day comes when you outgrow the behaviour you will forever have to see the aftermath. Also, self-harm is really scary to people and can be a burden on your interpersonal relationships. It can be extremely stressful to your friends, family, and loved ones. Therefore, it might cause all kinds of problems aside from just physical.

The reason why you do not want to stop is because as you said, you liked the pain. To be honest, the pain you have to carry is so much, you hurt yourself because that will distract you from the problems you are dealing with. I suggest you find something else that will help you relax. For example, do some sports. Boxing, running, where you can reduce stress. Try to feel painful by not hurting yourself but like getting tired of sports. And do not you worry, dear, this will go away. All you have to do, is to put your mind to it. Good luck, honey!

Are you feeling suicidal? And would you like me to refer you to the suicide hotline? Harming yourself is someone serious and it can cause harm to yourself now and in the future. I'm not sure why you don't want to stop. Maybe instead, you can draw on your body with markers. Maybe even sharpie so that it won't come off. Try to draw on yourself or paint on your body so you can see your beautiful art. Self harm is a serious topic, and I only want the best for you. Let me know again, if you'd like a referral to the suicide hotline.

Because it shows me that I have something I've been through too. Sometimes I feel so privileged that I feel it's not fair that I sit here with a roof over my head, food on my table, clothes on my back - while others sit there with nothing at all in the cold and rain. So I do this in order to lessen the burden of feeling that I have everything, yet nothing. I do this because sometimes it hurts so much inside. The feeling of loneliness and straight depression, that doing something that causes me physical pain reminds me that I'm still alive and it hurts because I'm real. Just like how sometimes people feel they're sleeping so they pinch themselves to see if they're awake or not. I do this to see if I'm alive or not.

You put yourself in a mindset that this harm is doing you good. That type of mindset will ALWAYS be hard to change.. which leads to you not wanting to stop. There are also chemicals harming yourself can release into your brain that makes you feel happier and make you think that harming is a good idea. Due to that, you're going to want to keep doing it. If stopping is what you want to do then getting some help from a therapist or somebody will be amazing. They can help guide you on the right path as you will need to change your whole mindset towards harming yourself etc.