self harm how to stop

[Monkeybabiess111]

I self harm when I'm stressed I don't like doing it but it helps in the moment but I feel stupid afterwards.
Has anyone any suggestions on stopping, I wear a band right now but it doesn't always work. I've only started taking citalopram and I know it can take weeks to work but i feel it's making the urges stronger.

I started self harming at 14 till I was 16 I did it everyday as I would blame myself for what my mum did when I was younger (taking overdoses on prescription drugs) I would come home from school she would lie there unconsciouse would never know what to do this started happening from around 6-7 my dad use to take it our on me he would shout at me verbally and throw me across the room hit me the lot men where never kind to me and loads used me for things I hate I would selfharm everyday as many as I could fit on each arms till the point I wanted to commit suicide and I did try a phew times then I met this boy who actually made me feel loved and I fell pregnant and I now have a amazing beautiful baby boy and soon as I found out I was pregnant I stopped completely and my boyfriend was then abusive to me would make me feel shit say it's you or the baby I would always pick my baby so now it's just me and my son (I'm not saying getting pregnant is the answer) I now have horrible scars which are very visible I'm worried what my son might ask me if he ever saw those big gashy white marks everytime I feel like I want to give up I thibk about my son and don't even try I would never do it again. Don't feel stupid it's a way of realising your feelings if you need help book a apoitment at your local go and they will help u or give u further advice but you can do it yourself you have got to me strong when you grow older and want children how do you think there feel seeing those marks and how will it make u feel when they ask what they are u need to resist the urge what's the reason ur stressed?? U can always message me if u need to talk to somebody don't ever blame yourself your a beautiful human being and u need to stay strong scars last forever

Local gp-

Sorry about the spelling errors early morning hours

The reason I'm stressed is I'm feeling really down I keep getting thoughts of ending everything I'm trying to block them out and self harming stopped them for a while.
I do it around the top of my legs so no one can see it I want to stop I do.
My gp and Cmht know I do it.
I just feel so messed up right now.

I was abused when I was younger I hate remembering, I hate me for it if I had said no it might not have happened, I just let it happen.
I'm struggling I need out the house I keep going back to the bathroom I've been up most of tonight, I'm exhausted but I can't sleep and I'm meeting people but I'm worried I'm going to break today and I hope I don't in front of anyone I wish there was an off button in my head.

This may well be stuff you know, but...

Techniques that people suggest are firstly to wait...waiting for a set amount of time is easier than just not, if that makes sense. So don't do it for 5 minutes then see if you can do 5 more...

Find something else to do, rubbing ice cubes where you'd self harm is something that works for a lot of people, or pinging an elastic band, or some people find drawing with a marker where they'd harm helpful...or do something completely different and fiddly or absorbing, colouring in, jigsaw puzzles, writing or playing an instrument - something along those lines.

Thankyou I have no wait time I need to try that Thankyou.

i put my hands in freezing cold water
psych said that was better if i had to do it at all

I was advised not to stop when self-harm is combined with suicidal plans, thoughts, or ideation. It's better than the alternative. (Advice for me, from mental health professionals, I'm not suggesting this is what you should do!)

My left arm is terrible at the moment, and I have to wear long sleeves (I'm glad Autumn is finally here.)

Is there a self-harm support group you can join? It's been recommended to me, but the idea of it terrifies me at the moment. (New people, having to talk, etc).

Just wondering....how old are you? Just bear in mind that anti depressants can make the urges/ thoughts worse at first, but will improve your ability to cope when you have been on them a while. It seems that this is more likely if you are a teenager/ young adult.
I really would recommend a visit to your GP, ask for a referral to your local mental health recovery team. They are the best people to help you understand and manage your feelings.
( am currently going through all this with teenage daughter, have become something of a reluctant expert)
Above all, try to stay in control of this. By that I don't mean stop, as I know that can be impossible, but be mindful. Try to make sure you are making a conscious decision to harm, not a knee jerk reaction. This is where the waiting comes in, even five minutes will do. It's all about you making the choice, and if you still do harm, then you have made that choice and are in control.
I wish you the best,this is something you can learn to manage, but you really do need some professional help to do this. Xxx

There are some really good suggestions here monkey
www.nshn.co.uk/downloads/Distractions.pdf

Talk to your support network -gp, cmht, family & friends - and let them know you are struggling. Most importantly, be kind to yourself

I second the nshn distractions, (biased coz I helped write it lol). The most important thing I found was to curb the impulsiveness of self harming. The waiting game, as someone suggested earlier. Start small, one minute or five, and even if you then cant wait longer you have more control.
I very rarely self harm now, and nowhere near as severe as I used to. It can and does get better but it's very difficult to stop without dealing with the underlying issues. PM me if you want to chat. And good luck.

Thankyou I'm 23 and went back to the gp they upped my Citalopram to 20mg it will probably be upped again no doubt in a few weeks, I just want it to start working.
I've not cut since Friday I've been using a colouring book as a distraction, it working short term but I'm getting stressed this afternoon as there's family things going on.
I feel selfish for complaining about me right now with everything else going on so I'm trying to stop and ignore everything in my head right now.