Struggling with Self Harm Relapse

also, you are not back at square one💗 it is not easy, but i can see you are trying your best. you are so strong💗

when i am in a moment where i am very upset and thinking of self harm, or just very anxious, i like to dunk my head in ice water. it feels really refreshing and it helps me sometimes.

It’s all normal and part of the process. You’re doing a lot better than a lot of others in your situation. Keep it up and don’t use negative self talk. Ex. “Ugh why can’t I do this math problem I’m so stupid”

I've been in that boat too, the slip-ups don't mean you are back at square one because you realized what you did, that is a very important thing, then you can ask yourself why it happened and what made you do it. It's hard to stay on track, but never impossible, keep your head up and keep focusing on your feelings and what they mean.

🙏 when you feel like self harming yourself. Call the mobile crisis to see if you take to some or being in the hospital

My therapist told me about some alternative ways to deal with the want to self harm. The first is to take a red pen or marker and mark where you want to self harm. If you don't want random red marks on you then just doodle on yourself. (I ended up covering my whole arm once.) The second is taking a piece of ice and seeing how long you can keep it on. This gives the same kind of relief/feeling as self harming but safer. And the third is to tell someone who you really trust. They can help you get through it. They can detract you from it. Even just scribbling on paper gets that energy out. My therapist said the want to self harm only lasts for I think 15 minutes. If you can find something else to do for just 15 minutes, the want to self harm should pass. I hope this helps! If you ever need to talk more, I'm happy to listen.

First of all I just want to say I’m sorry you’re struggling with this. It’s not easy dealing with a relapse. I’ve never gotten into the habit of self harm, but I do pick at my skin all the time, and while this is more of an addiction, it still gives me a lot of the same negative emotions after the fact since it leaves me covered in scrapes and scabs and I know I’m undoing all progress I’ve made every time I do it. Just remember that relapsing doesn’t negate the healing you’ve done, even if it feels like it does. Everyone relapses at some point in their healing process, often more than once, but it doesn’t mean you’re back at square one. Each time you come out of a relapse and keep moving toward your goal, you’ll get closer and closer. It may feel like an incredibly slow process, but it’s important to remember that you are making progress, and that falling back down doesn’t mean you can’t get up again.