Triggering (SH): How much is a problem?

[cardio]

Periodically, I've thought about cutting throughout my life, but been able to resist the urge. Partly because my boyfriend at the time had psychologist parents and I knew there would be a huge thing if I ever did cut and he/they found out.

But I have scratched myself. I recently made a post in the depression topic about a lot of stuff I've been going through and how I feel so alone now. And like last night, I took the tip of my pocket knife and scratched words and scribbles onto my arms and my belly. And the scratches lasted more than a few minutes, so I guess technically it's SH but is it that big of a problem? Is it something I should get help for even though they're never much of a scratch and they're always gone by morning? Do I need help simply because it is SH? Or what.

[Lee Whimsy]

I'd say if you feel like you can stop now, STOP. Before you start relying on it or feeling compelled to do it.

I've had a similar issue: where technically, what I do is SH, but it doesn't feel like a big deal at all. But it's really, really easy to start escalating, and the longer you use SH as your coping mechanism, the harder it is to stop. So while it might not be a 'problem' now, it definitely might get to be, and there's no reason to put yourself through that if you can avoid it!!

If you ever want to talk, feel free to PM me. ::hugs::

[cardio]

Thank you. I'll try not to do it anymore, even if I feel like I want to.

[Total Light Storm]

I think that any form of self harm is a problem, no matter how little you do it.
Once you start SH, if you don't get help for the thoughts that make you want to SH and if you start doing it more and more, it's really hard to stop and trust me, you do not want to put yourself through that.
If you feel like you should get help, in my opinion, you should, then I'd suggest talking with someone you can trust, whether that's someone at school or your parents, getting support for what you are going through is very important and can help you stop yourself from SH-ing again. Also, you can look at the alternatives thread, there's a very great list of ways to cope with urges to self harm there.
I hope I've helped and if you ever need anything, you can PM me and I'll be glad to help

[cardio]

Originally Posted by cz123094

If you feel like you should get help, in my opinion, you should, then I'd suggest talking with someone you can trust, whether that's someone at school or your parents, getting support for what you are going through is very important and can help you stop yourself from SH-ing again.

I think that's part of the problem though, I don't really have anyone to go to. I mean, I can do a walk-in appointment with the psychologists on campus but I can't do that until Friday and then I can't talk to my parents because it has to do partly with sex which would get angry about, my college friends are always busy, and my exboyfriend/best friend doesn't want to talk to me for a while because I need to "figure things out on my own" and stop relying on him so much.
But I think I'm going to do one of those walk-in appointments on Friday and just talk to the person about everything. I think I can probably survive until then.

[Dez]

Any form of SH is a problem, especially because after a while it becomes an addition, and that is never a good thing. Try to stop before it becomes increasingly harder to do so. You should probably try to deal with thoughts of SHing before they get worse and try to deal with the feelings so you don't feel the need to SH. Getting help may be a good idea if you think you should.

[Total Light Storm]

Originally Posted by cardio

I think that's part of the problem though, I don't really have anyone to go to. I mean, I can do a walk-in appointment with the psychologists on campus but I can't do that until Friday and then I can't talk to my parents because it has to do partly with sex which would get angry about, my college friends are always busy, and my exboyfriend/best friend doesn't want to talk to me for a while because I need to "figure things out on my own" and stop relying on him so much.
But I think I'm going to do one of those walk-in appointments on Friday and just talk to the person about everything. I think I can probably survive until then.

I think that if your only option is to do the walk-in appointment with the psychologist on campus, then you should try your best to wait until Friday and go to that appointment and tell them everything.
I really hope all goes well for you and that the appointment goes well.
Let me and us here on TH know how things go for you.

[Lee Whimsy]

Good luck with your walk-in; I hope it helps!

And next time you feel like SHing: keep in mind that while in the short term, SH does make you feel 'better', in the long run it can really screw you up, and then everything's worse. The Alternatives to SH list is really worth a look, there are some great suggestions there.