why does cutting make me feel better but then bad afterwards?

Self-harm is tricky to understand, it gives you a sense of relief but then you feel guilty afterwards for 'giving in'. It's a vicious circle but if you can find just one thing that takes your mind away from self-harm even in the desperate times, that's a big step towards battling it and ending it.

It probably feels good at first because you are in control. You are doing what you want without anyone to tell you not to. It's like a power high. But then afterwards you realize what you've done. You realize that what you did made you feel good, but it wasn't what you really wanted deep down. You may want control. You may want happiness, or success. Cutting isn't the answer and you know that. Which is why you feel regret afterwards. Don't continue down this path. Keep your head up and control what you can, just not in the way of self harm. Message someone if you feel the urge to cut again. Talk it out. Please. Be safe. Stay safe.

self harm is usually a method we use to escape from our Mental pain through Physical pain, when our Mental pain is way over our power to withstand and it becomes too much, after the Mental pain is gone we completely focus on the physical pain which makes us feel bad, know how precious you are and there is only one version of you, mental pain is temporary we do not want it to lead us to Physical harm, we deserve happiness and A fair life, think of how many people care about you, friends, family members and also this beautiful community

Think of it like your sadness is an ocean. You keep walking deeper and deeper until you cant see the surface. You need help. Then a life raft comes along. That's cutting. It feels good, you can breathe again. But there is still some water on your body. The sadness still lingers, and that's why you feel bad again.

For me, cutting made me feel a sense of relief from my mental pain for a short while. While it was worth it at the time I felt bad about it afterwards because I had nasty cuts that would remind me of when I was feeling bad. It was a trigger to see the cuts/scars and would bring me back to that same state of mind. If you cut, don't feel bad about yourself, just take the time to find out new healthy ways to make you feel that sense of release from your state of mind. Try some grounding exercises or meditation :)

Sometimes the immediate pain helps us feel better, like we are releasing everything bad with it, but then afterwards we start to think a little more clearly again and end up feeling bad for various reasons

Cutting causes real, physical pain. When you cut your body releases endorphins to help you deal with that pain and any stress it might cause. Endorphins also make you feel great, like an actual chemical high, when they are pumping through your bloodstream. You feel fantastic for a while, but then the endorphins begin to wear off and the emotions that made you want to cut in the first place return. That same control you felt while cutting, now feels like a lack of control, which can turn into guilt and shame. Feelings reinforced by the desire to hide what you've done.

Hey sweetie, there's this thing call your conscience that makes you feel bad when you do bad stuff, but after awhile it fades away. Cutting is something that I did and it works like this: First you feel really bad. Next, you start cutting and feel like all the pain you felt before went away. Last, you conscience makes you realize that you have harmed your precious, beautiful body and you feel bad. Tell someone about your cutting. They can help you. And if you're older, go to your nearest therapist.

Self-harm makes the body feel good because the injuries trigger the fight-or-flight response, so your body releases adrenaline and dopamine: hormones that spike your energy levels and make you feel good. However, contemplating self-harm afterwards can often induce guilt, shame or anger. I suggest that you seek help from a counsellor or someone that you trust - these behaviors can threaten your life and are short-term ineffective solutions to deeper problems. Stay safe.

cutting is often used as a form of "freedom." at least, for me it was. we inflicted pain on ourselves because others' hate and negativity made us numb. but, the reason we feel bad afterwards, is because we have a reminder of pain and loneliness with us forever. we ruined our bodies by this, and therefore, we feel guilty.