Self-harm during lockdown (potentially triggering)

[EoinMcLovesCakeJumper]

I have recently started cutting again, after not doing it for quite a few years. I think it's a response to the stress of the current situation, and because many of the things I used to do to ease the feeling that I needed to cut, are not possible at the moment. A lot of the bad coping strategies have been creeping back in, including overeating, but the return of self-harm has been a big backslide, and really worrying, and I'm not sure what to do. How are others coping with this?

Just to say, I'm not doing anything that could go badly wrong and I'm not in a place where I would try to take it further.

I'm sorry OP

Me too. It's been years and I thought I was absolutely fine with lockdown. I'm due on and I think my hormones are really bad.
I SH on Saturday and somehow just feel worse about it today. Like I cannot believe I did it again after so many years

Thanks JoMumsnet

Things have moved pretty quickly for me, which is reassuring in a way that I'm being taken seriously. I told my GP about the SH last week, and today I had a call from a community mental health team nurse to do an initial assessment, to see if I was eligible for their services. She was really nice and she gave me some practical advice, such as the number for the crisis team and alternative strategies I could try instead of SH. I was told I would be getting a letter about next steps within 14 days, which is faster than I thought it would be - I have worked in MH myself, and I was expecting it to be six months or something.

I mention all this to make the point that there are some good services out there, you won't necessarily be judged for asking for help, and SH is considered to be something that merits a relatively fast intervention. If there is anyone on here who is wavering about speaking to a GP, please give it some thought.

I am a very private person and hate being in a vulnerable position, but knowing that there's somebody who is bothered about what happens to me and wants to help does actually make me feel a tiny bit brighter.

OP that is great news that they are offering you the support you need. It's very reassuring to hear as I'm having my call from the MH team nurse tomorrow. Its given me some insight into what go expect. I've never been in this position before. I've had 3 mental breakdowns in the past but never to this extent. I've only ever been offered antidepressants and had bereavement counselling (which my GP misunderstood the situation tbh). It helped a bit but this time I'm so totally lost and have given up. I'm glad I, like you, have asked for help as I don't like where my mind has been heading.
I really hope everything goes well for you. We have some hope now. XxX

You too xx

I think it's easy to lose sight of the fact that depression is a very common thing and get stuck in a spiral of "this is hopeless, nobody understands and nobody can help me". In reality, there are lots of ways that we can get help and they work for many people. We can only try!

I've been struggling a lot lately, and I'm back to cutting after not having done it for a while. It's getting increasingly difficult to hide it from my husband. I feel so ashamed, I'm in my 30s with kids, it isn't supposed to be this way. I'm not getting any help at the moment as I just don't have the energy to see/talk to a gp only to get told "have you tried the Mindful app? Here's a leaflet about some books from the library that might help". Then I look at my online medical records and see the gp has noted "mild anxiety" after I've scored highly on the PHQ-9 questionnaire, told them about my suicidal thoughts and shown them my fresh scars. There just doesn't seem to be any point.