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Anybody can self harm although most people who self harm are woman. The main reason for this is that men tend to display their agression-hurt-pain outwardly towards other people or inantimate objects. Women, on the other hand, tend to turn that hurt and pain inward upon themselves.
There are many ways that a person can Self-Harm (SH)
The most common is cutting (using razor blades or broken glass)
Burning
Scratching
Picking of healing wounds
Headbanging
The breaking of bones
Some people may not know why they SI, but there there are several reasons why a person decides to SI. Each time a person SI's it is very likely to be for a different reason than the last time they did it. Some of these reasons are:
Relief from psychological pain
Release of mounting tension
Inability to feel
Feeling too much
Inability to handle any kind of feeling-good or bad
Wanting to feel something
Expressing anger
And sometimes self-injury is even used for getting attention - although in the majority of cases this is not true
People who SI often share the same characteristics. These can be:
The person strongly dislike themselves
They can be extremely sensitive to rejection
They can be always angry towards themselves
They can have a tendency to suppress their anger
Have high levels of aggressive feelings
Are impulsive and lacking in impulse control
Generally act in accordance with the mood that takes them at that moment
They are depressed and suicidal
Very anxious
Often irritable
Don't see themselves as skilled at coping
Don't have flexible coping skills
Don't think they have much control over how/whether they cope with life
Tend to be avoidant
It doesn't matter how deep somebody cuts. It doesn't mean they are unhappier because they cut deeper, the fact that they injure themselves shows that they are unhappy. If you know somebody who SH listen to them and the facts, not the myths.
To stop self harming can be very difficult. To stop SH permanetly can only happen with time. No sooner. If a SHer pushes thereself to stop, it is very likely that they will go back to it and it could be worse. It may be hard to stop on your own, so by seeking help off anybody could be of a benifit to a SH. There is no need for anybody to go through this on their own!!!
If you feel like SH there are a few ways in which you can distract yourself. These could be:
Writting (a journal or poetry)
Drawing
Tearing up paper
Drawing lines on the area you usually SH with a red pen
Clench dyed red ice or normal ice (the red helps those who need to see the blood) in your fist and run it over your skin
Talk to someone
Phone a helpline
Listen to music
Go for a run or walk
Keep busy
Go somewhere public as it is less likely you will SH in front of others
More information can be obtained from websites in my links section.