why is cutting bad?

[Troubled_Heart]

So I keep thinking to myself I don't need to cut and anyway it's bad. Then I can't help but cut and whilst cutting I'm like, there's nothing wrong with it. Then afterwards I feel bad but free-er but then I would never show people because I'm too embarassed and ashamed. But I can't work out reasons for why it's bad. I know it is, but I just don't know why...

[Maloo]

you're teaching yourself that it's okay for you to deal with stress in an unhealthy manner, and you're endangering your life which hurts the people who care about you.

[Palmolive]

Hey there.

I agree with Myss. Its a dangerous coping method. The fact that you feel so bad that you want to physically hurt yourself is not a good place to be in. No one deserves to be hurt, never mind by themselves. You need to find healthy ways to cope such as distractions (Reading, running, art etc).

Self harm can be really dangerous and come become addictive and you shouldn't need to hurt yourself to get through every day life. You are worth more than it.

Jessie.

[chrissy2009]

IT's not a good thing. either way its bad. It could kill you and leave scars on your body for the rest of your life. We all make mistakes but it's the better things that keeps us from making mistake after mistake. keep your head high i have faith in your. I have been cut free for 3 years. set a goal for yourself. with the help of others i hope we give you a little more faith in yourself. I'm here if you ever want to talk.

In the process of cutting you are destroying your body, damaging vital structures. You are allowing for the possibility of disease and possibly death. Not only this, but you are usually hurting yourself out of negative emotions, which has a negative impact on the psyche. In addition, you are destroying the relationships you hold with other people whether they know it or not.

[Darkanddepressed]

I think cutting is bad because if you go to deep you could kill yourself or if someone finds out they could bring you to a hospital and normally you get addicted and it interferes because you want it. And you feel like you need it. And the scars are awful afterwards. So it has many draw back please keep trying to quit in know it's hard =/ (as I am becoming more and more aware) but it is possible!

[pixietheangel]

hey because its an unhealthy way to deal with issues. over time it becomes a nessecity and you cant realease emotions with cutting. your mind depends on it and you become addicted to the relief that you think it releases. i know i did it an dim trying to cut. plus it leaves scars. but its really hard to break the cycle because your mind changes and it convinces you. its a phycological disorder or something i think but yh . plus it hurts yourself, makes you feel bad, makes others worry and upset people xx

[Riddikulus]

Hey,

As a few of the others have said, Cutting is a dangerous way of coping with stress in everyday life. Is is harming your body by leaving scars, but also you have a risk of cutting too deep and causing serious injury; also the cuts can get infected and again cause harm to you.
Cutting is very addictive and a hard thing to stop once you have started, and you shouldn't have to feel the need to hurt yourself.

Feel free to PM me if you want to talk,
Take care,
Charli

[Spirit.]

The reason cutting is so bad is because you think it's going to ease your emotions, and I'm not going to lie, it does. But it's effect is very temporary. Once you get a taste of it though, the feeling of cutting, you'll want to keep doing it, to feel that relief. And here is where it becomes dangerous and quite fatal. It becomes an addiction. One that causes physical and mental trauma.

You cut yourself, then you get all these cut marks on you and you feel upset that it's going to leave scars on you and that it looks ugly. And how are you going to free yourself from this? Obviously, your mind is playing tricks on you. It'll make you want to cut more every time you feel upset about something. And the intensity of your hurt will increase as the number of cuts increase. Now, tell me, is that really solving a problem/issue, or just creating a new one?

If you need to talk, PM me anytime. Take care of yourself. <3

[Sarahh9]

Sometimes I feel exactly the same way :S Everything just feels good after, until I remember how people will judge me when they see the cuts.

[letgoslowly]

for me, it's been most damaging mentally. yes, I've hurt my body a ton, but I lost my bestfriend over my cutting. which I found way harder to deal with, and then l ended up cutting more and more. it's bad just in general, and for everyone around you

[WhoAmI?]

I don't think it's as "bad" as smoking or drinking. I think the drama is overplayed a lot.

[Spirit.]

[quote=WhoAmI?;626430]I don't think it's as "bad" as smoking or drinking.

Smoking and drinking destroys the body from the inside. Cutting destroys it from the outside. That's just about it. Cutting is also as addicting, bad for your health and well being. In that sense, either way, you're destroying yourself. And either way you argue, you're going to the conclusion that it's bad for you. Just because it's not AS bad as smoking or drinking, doesn't automatically make it a better option to smoking and drinking. It's still bad and shouldn't be resorted to.

Originally Posted by WhoAmI?

I think the drama is overplayed a lot.

Just because people who cut themselves are emotional, doesn't automatically classify it as drama. People are actually going through a flurry of emotions, and what may seem like drama is just pain and I don't know what you mean by overplayed. If you're talking about those who cut for attention, that is a very select few and you can't generalize. That's not right, or fair to all the other people who do cut, and not to seek attention.
This statement may actually cause a lot of controversy, I think.
I don't think it should referred to as drama.

[WhoAmI?]

Definition of "Drama:" An exciting, emotional, or unexpected series of events or set of circumstances

So it is technically dramatic, but it's a necessary feeling to some people and I'm no exception. I didn't mean to cause controversy, I'm only stating my own opinion as you have.

I didn't mean "overplayed" as in attention seeking or whatever, I meant it as more of an expression of "people will worry more about cutting than what's causing it" kind-of-way.

[Spirit.]

Originally Posted by WhoAmI?

So it is technically dramatic, but it's a necessary feeling to some people and I'm no exception. I didn't mean to cause controversy, I'm only stating my own opinion as you have.

Sometimes, the way something is said can be very upsetting to people, and should be put in a more delicate way, as most people are quiet sensitive here (as I've observed). Without explaining why you think it is dramatic, sometimes, it can cause a bit of a stir is all. Although, I do respect your opinion and I'm glad you put it out there!

Originally Posted by WhoAmI?

I didn't mean "overplayed" as in attention seeking or whatever, I meant it as more of an expression of "people will worry more about cutting than what's causing it" kind-of-way.

Like I said before, it will be less hitting to a person when it is explained like the way you just did. It makes it easier to understand. Overplaying, like I took it could be taken as attention seeking, etc, and this may seem like an attack to the people who do SH. On occasion it could sometimes trigger people to SH more. That's why. There are many ways of interpreting something, so for minimum misunderstanding, making a little clearer will help.

[survivor16]

I agree with all of the people above! ^ (:

I do the same thing. I tell myself that it's bad and I'm not going to do it anymore, but as soon as I cut again, it's all right, it's okay. The main reasons I can think of to why it is bad is because: one; it's addictive, two; it leaves scars that take forever to fade, three; if loved ones found out, they'd be more hurt by it then the SHer would be, and four; it's easy to say just one cut, but one cut can turn into two, and two into four, and so on. It's an additive coping method, and it'd have been a lot better to never start at all(I'm more saying this toward myself, not you). It's extremely easy to lose control of, and it isn't easy to stop after you have.

Take care.

[THEflameANDtheFLOWER]

i dont think cutting can be defined as good or bad. if cutting keeps me from spending weeks in bed and not eating then i say its good. if cutting keeps me from jumping off a bridge then i say its good. i think you have to make the decision for yourself. when you decide thats its bad... always. without any exceptions. then you can work on stopping. until then... adopting anyone else's ideas about cutting is not helping you get better. i think most of these post will only make you feel worse in the long run. what do you think? thats what matters most.

[Maloo]

Originally Posted by THEflameANDtheFLOWER

i dont think cutting can be defined as good or bad. if cutting keeps me from spending weeks in bed and not eating then i say its good. if cutting keeps me from jumping off a bridge then i say its good. i think you have to make the decision for yourself. when you decide thats its bad... always. without any exceptions. then you can work on stopping. until then... adopting anyone else's ideas about cutting is not helping you get better. i think most of these post will only make you feel worse in the long run. what do you think? thats what matters most.

Cutting is never a good thing. It's a very harmful way of inappropriately dealing with your feelings and emotions.

[letgoslowly]

agree with Concrete Angel, on all of it

[AnAnimeMask]

the way i see things is ; there is no good and evil in this world, but what is there is perception. so that something for you to decide. i personally find that it is a decision to not be happy with because it is harmful to your body, but its better that suicide. it could be a good thing if no one has noticed someones depression but then they start cutting and someone see the cuts, because then they will get help. but then again people use drinking and smoking to deal with things like stress and that slowly kills you, and thats similar to cutting. but like i said thats really up to you to decide if its bad or good.

[forfrosne]

It's not inherently 'bad' in a moral sense, it's just an objectively bad way of dealing with the situation.

[anony mouse.]

I struggle with this question a lot myself. It's one of the cornerstones of why I'm having the hardest time recovering.

Why? Who does it hurt? Certainly not me--I can't even feel it anymore. It's easy to say that it's harmful and that you're putting yourself at risk for infection and whatnot. As much as I hate to sound like a petulant child (or, worse, biased), if you're using sterile implements and keeping your wounds clean...who's to tell you you can't do this to yourself?

Then again, I guess you could apply this same question to drug abuse, eating disorders, etc etc etc. If we're going merely by the logic that we aren't hurting anyone but ourselves, then we can do just about anything.

I think there's a whole different mindset that you gain when you recover--that is, recover as much as one can from a crippling disease of the mind. You see things differently, in a more positive light, and you see why self-harm is bad. Maybe once you get to that place, it's easier to stop.

I don't know. I'm not there yet.