What would be a better, non-harmful, alternative to self-harm?

A better non-harmful, alternative to self-harm, would be to try talking to someone and telling them why you are wanting to self-harm in the first place. Talking is also a way to release.

A better , non-harmful, alternative to self-harm could be healthier habits such as acquiring better management skills of stress & anxiety and our own emotions. Simply squeezing a ball can help, for others punching a pillow and screaming in to it, for others it's exercise. In the past for me it has been cutting up erasers i do not know why i have always like that though regardless. Writing helps a lot too. Helps by clearing your mind and offering other possibilities. Painting, listening to music, mediation, doing more activities that you enjoy or activities that help your mind and body breathe. There is a lot of support on 7 cups of tea on self harm which can help you stay clean & happy. Please take care

instead of taking a razor or a knife to your body, take a marker to your body and draw. Express your feelings on your body with marker drawings. It seems silly but this helps alot. Also if you're very tempted to self harm, try surrounding yourself with people, that way you will prevent yourself from the urge and it will eventually pass. Going for a walk helps too, being outside in the fresh air usually clears your head and that way there is nothing around you that may tempt you

You can get a piece of paper and a pen. Put the paper wherever you cut yourself and then rip through the paper (lines or whatever) with the pen. The pen inks represents the cuts you were strong enough not to inflict upon.

Find an activity that you enjoy and do that. For some, like myself, it’s drawing/painting or listening to music. If you can, it’s good to get out for a while too. If you have friends you can get together with, that’s a great way to take your mind off what’s going on in your head. Some other activities you can do are playing video games, watching a funny movie or TV show, playing a sport you enjoy, learning an instrument, reading a book, anything you can find pleasure in doing is a great option and it’s better than self harm.

Even if you are not artistic at all, paint or draw. Get a piece of paper and write down your emotions or any word that you think up, in the colour that you feel represents them. Paint a picture on you skin. It doesn’t have to be a pretty picture, or make sense. Push out all you emotion into it. Unbury all your hidden feeling and show them on your paper, or arm, the thing you work on. Stay away from anything harmful while doing this. Listen to music to help you concentrate on your work. Then work away.

Base on personal experience I would start reading verses in the Bible in the book of Psalms when I started having thoughts of self harm. It was a suggestion given to me by a friend. To this day I still read the bible on occasion when I need a feeling of reassurance and hope. Another intervention I used when I felt like self-harming out of frustration was to do wall ball slams. You just take an 8 or 10lb soft medicine ball (there are also larger ones that are extremely soft), lift it up high and slam it to the ground as hard as you could. No only does it help release frustration, you get a few minutes of good cardio in also.

A better alternative to self-harm is become the best version of yourself. When life hits rock bottom, it can only get better. You learn many important lessons in life such as one that teaches you to only depend on yourself. Make realistic expectations from yourself and stop depending others. A 30 minute jog in a park, joining a gym or reading books in a library are some of the options that can help distract you from your overwhelming problems and speed up your process in getting a new perspective to look at your problems. It is important to remember that you mustn't be too harsh on yourself sometimes it's just okay to process trauma and give yourself the time you deserve.