Why can't I convince myself that self harm alternatives may work?

Self-harm is a very quick and strong activity that we've used for quite a while most likely to cope. It has perhaps become more of an addiction than a coping skill any longer. Maybe we don't want to give it up yet, because it feels secure as an outlet, plus there are chemicals that are released in our brain that make it hard to stop. My questions would be: Are you afraid to stop or that you can't stop even with the alternatives? What motivation do you have to stop? Do you think they won't work so why try? Do you have a fear of what if you fail at using them? So many questions that might impact why we can't convince ourselves to stop self harm and use alternative coping skills. Plus, anyone who has quit and used alternatives knows, they don't feel like the same as self-harm. So the need and urges to stop are still in our minds. It's like losing good friend to give up self harm. So maybe even grief is getting in the way.

Because you are most likely depressed therefore you may be looking at life quite negatively so you might not think anything other than self harm will work

Are you a long-term user of self-harm? If that's the case, there's a good chance that on some level you've associated it with comfort. And change can be scary; I like to say that misery has it's comforts in that we know what will happen. If you aren't used to the alternative techniques, it might take a while to get used to, but I believe you can do it!

When you're using or considering using self-harm as a coping skill, your mind convinces itself that it will help and make things better; so in return, it does not seem as if any self-harm alternative will be helpful.