Autism and Self-Harm: Coping with the Urge to Hit Yourself

I usually redirect it to my leg, since I have really muscular legs so I won’t do more than bruise it, but I have that urge any time I get frustrated, and also the biting thing people have mentioned. I’ve broken skin biting myself on a fee occasions now. I also have a tendency to repeatedly scratch my arm until it’s all raw.

Sometimes it just builds up and I suddenly start kicking my feet out or doing harmful things like scratching or rubbing too hard or pulling my hair and the like, it takes a while for it to stop, usually my partner has to hold my hands until I calm down

I have done this multiple times. I personally do other things too. I curse a lot. More than I'm supposed to. But if you're alone, I would say curse to yourself or something like yelling. (Not saying cursing is a good idea. It's just something I do.)

I feel this all the time. It's like the emotions being faced are so powerful that they escape you. I usually do different things to release these emotions like vocally stimming (repeating phrases or yelling when I'm alone)

Yes I do alot .

I do 😥 and I used to do it a lot but since I've become more self aware it's easier to kind of... redirect my meltdown? I also used to bite things. Like have bitten myself so hard I broke skin. It's really hard and I used to just think I was throwing a hissy fit until I realized I was autistic.

When I get too mad or upset, but I know it's not justified for me to externalize it, I do. It's not often, but it's happened enough times that I recognize what's causing it after the fact.

I've started feeling more this way recently as I've learned that I'm autistic. But moreso had the urge to bite things since I was a teen struggling with depression. Rn I'm waiting to get some money to buy some chewlery. I've noticed that trying to catch the urge to hit myself and change it to hand flapping still gets the motion out and helps to not take it out on myself.

My brother did this more than I did. But I stuggle with feeling like I deserve punishment and not being able to manage well while in the space

I do that often, not hard enough to bruise (on my head. I will bruise my leg sometimes) And only when im like PEAK in upset and frustratedness. I usually will have my partner with me, and they kind of hug me super tight and the compression is comforting and helps take the urge. Or if I'm by myself with this happening, I try really hard to keep my fists at my legs or sides when sitting. And bend over them so I have the compression on my arms and it just shaking a little over hitting myself.

Yeah, i do this all the time. I bash myself in the head in rage all the time. I also pinch my skin and whip myself as a form of "punishment" for doing something wrong.

I get urges to “punish” myself in other ways.