Oh, not AGAIN...how can I stop accidentally cutting my hands, without resorting to expensive therapy and/or boxing gloves?

[motherinferior]

I seriously don't think I do this as a form of deliberate self-injury or anything (have just edited a report on self-harm, in fact). But pretty well as far back as I can remember, when I'm stressed I end up accidentally hurting my hands in some way - banging them, scraping them, or involving them in the many sharp edges contained within the modern-day kitchen. I can ascribe this to all sorts of complex factors, blame my parents (naturally) and so on but ffs, I'm 42, I can't go on blaming my parents forever. It is extremely tedious (and painful); I'd just got over slicing the top of my thumb on the micro-plane grater (after I'd sliced the top of my finger when chopping veg) and now the breadknife took a sideswipe off a driedup lemon, through my rubber glove and into the joint of my left forefinger, which is now comprehensively plastered.

Advise me, please. Seriously.

God, I don't know what to suggest. Erm, don't get stressed? Yeah, right. OK, don't do any housework or cooking when you're stressed? It's very difficult to do anythikng (including typing!) when your hands are hurt, I know. sorry not to have any better advice, wish I did.

I do this when tired and stressed too MI - it makes me incredibly clumsy and just not very aware of what I'm doing.

At the moment I have about three really painful paper cuts, a grater injury and a knife wound on the joint of an index finger that is SO painful and won't heal up...so i can't advise other than to say I try and get DP to do kitchen duty when I'm feeling particularly not with it.

I do this when tired and stressed too MI - it makes me incredibly clumsy and just not very aware of what I'm doing.

At the moment I have about three really painful paper cuts, a grater injury and a knife wound on the joint of an index finger that is SO painful and won't heal up...so i can't advise other than to say I try and get DP to do kitchen duty when I'm feeling particularly not with it.

are you doing it subconciously or are u aware of doing it?>

I know, it's a pain. Not huge major consuming issue or anything, but not exactly the mark of a soignee laydee. Finger joints are at least easier to plaster than tops of fingers, I fin.

OUCH! get dh/dp to prepare the food ?

I'm not doing it deliberately, at all.

DP does do half the cooking, but I can't permanently delegate everything to him, really!

Take a leaf out of my book and cook really really badly - DP will be happy to cook then

Sorry I can't offer more practical advice - I'm papercut queen myself

Sounds strange but sharpen your knives? I have more near misses with blunt knives sliding off things than anything else!

Yes, but I need to stop doing it in the first place, as well.

Are you ok with a knife when not stressed? I ask as DP can't bear to watch me use a knife anytime -he says I'm cack-handed with them! . He also tells me I use the wrong knife for the job (so I tell him to do it himself!) -could this be your problem?

I have had a few cuts from using knives (1 ending up in A&E when I was about 16), a few other hand injuries and, more recently, (last Sat.in fact) damaged a tendon in my finger and ended up in A&E again.

I think I'm more clumsy when tired but not confident with knives

I wouldn't say I was the world's best knife-wielder. Nor grater-wielder. Nor the best with bits of paper wielder. Or walls. Or tins. All of them have at times inflicted injuries on my poor little paws.

I have resuscitated a quite alarming pair of black rubber gloves from under the sink

i went through a phase of similar cooking accidents when I was at Uni - invariably the first day of my period!!! do you think there could be any hormone thing making you more clumsy?

Not today. I'm just a klutz, aren't I. Wince.

Teach DDs how to use knives and get them to do it for you?

I'd say it's never too late to blame your parents. You aren't pregnant, by any chance. I was a klutz when I was pregnant.

sorry, no advice except tv dinners when you are tired?

Can you get a commision for an article on cookery schools and go along for a session on knife skills?

I started my DC's very early with very sharp knifes (they are seemingly less dangerous than blunt ones). At 5 and 7 now they are quite competent - not had any sticky plasters for quite a while

Make yourself take your time. When people are stressed, they tend to rush, and rushing with sharp implements leads to cuts!. That's why you get injuered more when you are stressed, I think.

echo the others
just slow it down
and are you sure you're using the right implements for the job, bread knife and lemon? Non, non, non, non, says Jean Christophe Novelli.. Non!

Hi MI - ooh, ouch!

I seriously doubt it's some hidden impulse to hurt/punish yourself. It probably happens because you are completely distracted/preoccupied when under intense pressure. When you're anxious/stressed, I think it's perfectly natural to be clumsy because you aren't paying attention properly to what you're doing in the "real world" when there's so much going on inside your head.

I think the answer is probably to consciously recognise those times when accidents are more likely to happen, and then as suzywong says, slow everything down and be extra careful.

How's the thumb today?

Be careful

i cut my knuckel 3 weeks ago yesturday.... just the tinest scrape that didnt even hurt at the time...

a week later and it was REALLY infected

had to have a week off work (couldnt drive, or even hold a pen), and it nearly put me in hospital in IV antibiotics

Really amazed me how quickly it went from "hurting" to "unbearable agony"

Thankfull its healing now

Thanks all: I really will try to take time over knives. It isn't just knives, though. I forgot to mention the burn on my finger I got from a fork. And believe me, a microplane grater can take a serious chunk out of your thumb.

I am clearly just not fit for anything remotely manual....

MI! I do this too, not just my hands, but whenever I'm stressed or upset and try to do anything with something that has sharp bits I hurt myself! Don't know what to suggest, I've become scarily paranoid about knives and glasses

Our kitchen currently has two broken glasses on the windowsill (DH won't throw them away because they were his favourites lol!) and I bruised myself on the side of the work-top yesterday, I'm not usually clumsy though... it's very odd.

You could always purchase some shark-divers chain mail gloves, then you'd still be just about able to function...slightly better than boxing gloves anyway