I tried.

[ohemmx7]

I had gone a whole 5 days without cutting until today. I got so overwhelmed with everything that I didn't see another way out. I never thought about cutting as a problem before today. I just thought it was my own way of coping and since I'm not suicidal I thought it was fine. I made a promise to my boyfriend that I'd tell him every time I cut and that it couldn't be a secret. As soon and I knew I had to tell him I felt so ashamed for being too weak to stop cutting. He reassured me that everything was OK and that he is here for me and loved me no matter what. His continuous kindness made me finally understand the need to stop. Not only is cutting hurting myself its hurting the ones I love. Cutting doesn't make the past go away and can't make me forget. It is not a long term solution. I am looking for some helpful ideas on how to stay away from cutting.
Please help,
FinallyReadyToStop.

[Kate*]

I'm glad you've come to those realizations, they're really one of the first steps to stopping. The best way to stop is to figure out why you do it and find a healthier way to deal with that. It might help to keep track of when you get urges to figure out what your triggers are. I'd also take a look at this thread for alternatives in the moment: http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f12-s...ves-self-harm/

[Iris. ♥]

I'm so glad you've made the decision to stop cutting! Katie already put a link to the thread I was going to point you to, so I'll just encourage you to check it out and try some of the suggestions. If you ever need anything (support, a friend, etc.), shoot me a message! Stay strong!

[Celestial.]

Hi there.

Five days is a long time - but I know now you've come to this realisation, you can go longer. When you feel triggered, I know that self harm can feel like the only way to get rid of all the negative feelings - but you and I both know it's not. The alternatives that Katie posted are a great start. One thing I've found helpful is to fill a box with things you can use to distract yourself - like paper and pens, puzzles, lists, anything you can think of. That way everything you need is in one place, so if you want to hurt yourself, you can just go to the box and find something to keep you busy until the urge passes.

The thing with self harm is that you're never fully in control. I know it may feel like you are, but one way or another you usually come to realise you're not. Whether it's because you start doing it too much, or too severely, or it starts taking over your life - and then you realise you're not really in control. You've realised that now, and that's a good first step on the road to recovery. Yes, it's a way of coping, but it's one that damages your body and causes a lot of problems. I used to think that as long as I wasn't doing it with suicidal intent, it was fine; but we both know that's not true, don't we?

Self harm does not make you weak or anything like that. It's great you have your boyfriend to support you, and I think he'll be very helpful during the recovery process. It sounds like he really cares about you, and will do whatever he can to help. Perhaps if you're triggered you can talk to him? You can either talk things through with him, or just have a light-hearted conversation as a distraction.

One final thing before I finish this up: maybe you could write a list of the reasons you shouldn't hurt yourself? You've named a couple yourself: it's only a short-term solution, it hurts the people you love, and, obviously, it hurts yourself. You can get your boyfriend to help write the list, if you like, and then stick it somewhere you can look at it when you're triggered. That way you'll remind yourself of all the reasons you're stopping, and it will help keep you safe.

Take care, and good luck.