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?

I'm sorry you feel this way. I think (I don't know it for sure because I'm not a professional) it's because you need to feel the pain somewhere. And you became used to seeing your scars on your arm/leg etc. and you miss them when they're gone. I don't know if this answers your question. If you ever need to talk to someone, feel free to send me a message.

Sometimes it's easy to get addicted to something like that. I understand. I've been there myself. After you get a taste of what it feels like when you're feeling down you can't stop even when you're feeling fine. I can't tell you why myself, but I can tell you that I understand. And I can guarantee you I'm not the only one who does. Self harm is an addiction and a disease and should be treated as such. Find something you love, something to live for, and hold on to that with all your might. You have to want to get to better. Healing is a process, but it is well worth it. It won't be easy, but it's not impossible. Keep fighting.

Self harm isn't something that sound make a person feel better. From my experiences, I've done it because I felt that I didn't deserve anything. Stopping self harm could be a big turning point in someone's life. It might be hard, but you know it's right. You know that what you are doing doesn't benefit you or anything. Continuing will just make your urges stronger. If self harm is what makes you feel better, I recommend you find a substitute for harming yourself, maybe a stress ball:)

self harm has been known to have addictive qualities and people can become attached to the feelings after self harming. you may have used it once or twice as a coping mechanism however now that you no longer need to you still subconsciously feel an attachment to the feeling it gives you. it may also be that you have formed a comforting habit and the self harm is what comforts you right now, it can be hard to break away from habits that provide us with comfort.

You don't have anything else to turn to. You choose feel pain because you want to feel anything but numb. You convince yourself that it is no longer something that you can live without. You go to pain because feeling pain is better than not feeling at all.

Sometimes even though we don't think self harming is a coping mechanism, it always is in some way. The feeling of pain or seeing blood still triggers a euphoric emotional release in our brains whether there's a purpose behind why we self harm or not.

It's often associated with relief or a sense of freedom. It can be quite addicting to have this pain and can become a habit, even if you don't really feel there is a reason for it.

I know that the pain caused in your body numbs the emotional one and it becomes an addiction because your body releases endorphins which creates the feeling of pleasure, but there are other ways people can let the steam go off, sleeping it off, go out and take deep breaths as you feel the air in your face and through your lungs will help you feel better. But mostly realizing that hurting yourself and causing you pain isn't the answer, and when you get through it, and you will, the scars and marks will be there to either remind you of how brave and strong you are at the moment or to make you feel guilty that you didn't realize sooner how worthy your life is.

This may sound weird... I have realized about myself. That I was self harming for attention. I liked the attention people gave me when they learned about my scars

It sounds like a form of control. SOmetimes when we lose control or feel that we have no control over our lives or what happens in our lives we find solutions, situations that we can manipulate and control to give us a sense of power over our lives