I cant stop

[ReasonsForWeeping]

i cant stop i want but i need it i cant stop burning myself how do i take someones hand for help if a cant stop on my own i dont want to disappoint but i feel like if i stop ill lose myself and i know i need to but will i lose myself in the process?

[XxMurderedKissesxX]

I know how u feel,but stopping wont make u loose urself,it will make u stronger. Its hard to quit but help from therapy and family/friend support makes it that much easier. Why not try painting or writing when u get urges? Uve probably heard this b4 but elastic bands on ur wrist is a good one. If u ever need2 inbox me,feel free : )

[ReasonsForWeeping]

thanks

[FullyAlive]

Yeah I have that exact same worry, that if I stop the self harm I won't know who I am anymore. But I guess you just have to hope that that thought will change. Once you take the support, and start to stop then hopefully you will also realise that stopping won't make you lose yourself rather it will help you find who you are really meant to be before all this got in the way.

About the dissapointing people unfortunately I know what you mean there too, but if people around you want to support you you should really take that support it'll be a lot easier than fighting your way through this alone. They won't be disappointed if you slip up, after all we all make mistakes. And maybe knowing that they too would like you to stop can give you a little extra motivation. Although at the end of the day you need to stop for yourself no one else. But you can do it, it might not be easy but it's something you are entirely capable of.

[georgiamay]

I feel the same way. I've been self harming on and off for 3 and a half years, and the idea of stopping completely has always scared me a lot. I've finally managed to tell myself that self harm doesn't define who I am, it's just something that I've been doing for a long time, and this time I actually believe it. Self harm doesn't make you who you are at all, and if you stop, you certainly won't lose yourself.

If people offer to help you, you should take them up on that offer, and if you're struggling, they're not going to be disappointed. They might be a bit worried, my parents worry about me a lot because of my self harm, but they're not disappointed. I thought they were at first, I felt like every time I did it, I was just letting them down. But seriously, no one will be disappointed, they'll just try to help you.

Maybe you could write a list of all the reasons you want to stop, and a list of reasons why you don't want to stop? You'll probably realise that the list of reasons why you want to stop will be longer, and for some reason, writing things down can make things seem a lot less complicated.

[MadManWithaBox]

There are somethings, we can't do alone in life. Overcoming self harm is one of them. You're a bigger person than self harm. Quitting, or gradually giving it up, won't make you lose yourself, or make you less of a person, it'll make you a better person cos you had the strength to know something you were doing was wrong and you did something about it :)