tring to stop cutting

[Jaggg]

im 14 and have been cutting for around 3 years. I started cutting when my mom got a new boyfriend n when she wasnt around he was a jerk to me. Now they're married n he hits me n he cares more bout his cars n tv than me or my sister n hes just a dick all the time. I recently told my closest friend, Rebekah that ive know for a long time that i cut. It was in a note because we kept passing notes in school n i know i can trust her with anything n she took it better than i thought she would. And shes just been so amazing shes helped me stop smoking n cutting for a while but whenever i fight with my stepdad il do a few cuts but im really tring to stop for Rebekah but sometimes at night i just start thinking bout stuff n it gets me mad n depressed and i start cutting again. Ive cut down on cuting a lot! i use to do 80 in a week n they'd be deep, now at most i do is 30 n here no deep but cutting is just something im use to. Someimes i just want to cut, other times i need to cut but now most the time i regret it. I have so many scars on my legs, arms, stomach and wrist its just makes me sad and ima tan person and the scars are ligh and becomming impossibe to hide from my parents n sister n teachers i just dont know what to do or how to stop.

[Christheman]

hey im sorryabout your stepdad mines an ass to but cutting is not the answer there are other ways to deal with your probelms. Do the butterfly effect

[LouBerry]

Think about the people you love, and how they would feel. I know how hard it is to stop. But I have a sister who is six years younger than me, and I'm trying to get help for her. You should try counseling, you may have depression and if so, it's treatable. But the best advice I can give, is do not give up. Your life is beautiful and has a purpose.

[Listed MIA]

Well firstly i think you are doing a great job managing to cut down from 80 to 30. Thats really good. maybe just try not doing it any more than 29 times this week, then 28 times next week. Ok so it will take a long time to drop it down to zero but i think it will work better than just trying to go from 30 to zero all in one go. the times when i've given up smoking i always cut down slowly.

i have actually had counselling to help me try and stop (hasn't worked yet because i just don't want to stop badly enough) but one of the things they helped me do was make a list of 10 things i could do instead of self harming. stuff like call a friend to talk, go out for a walk. maybe your friend can help you come up with a list? Quite often i will just try and distract myself, like i tell myself to wait 60 seconds then reconsider, then maybe make myself wait till i've listened to a song and then wait till i've listened to two songs etc. sometimes i can manage to lose the urge.

Maybe try something like boxing? it can help you get rid of aggression and exercise is supposed to help you feel better. usually boxing gyms are cheap to join and you don't need to buy any fancy uniforms. most gyms will have golves you can borrow so you don't even need to buy them. (base layers are your friend - Under Armour Heat Gear long sleeved top. i wear them all the time to work out in and no one would even suspect i was trying to hide anything)

Good luck.

[Meh Guy]

Yes you are doing great by cutting down. If you are really bothered than tell a counsellor at your school or someone like that. Tell your mom about your stepdad and she will probably listen. But if he hits you you might want to tell someone that because if it is causing you this much pain(aside from the fact that its child abuse) you need to have it stop.

Good luck and I hope you get better:)

[Narnia]

talk to someone! DONT CUT

[zachc]

what do you cut with? throw them away. break them. i did that. and now i am almost 2 years clean :)

[paterico]

I say, try do distract yourself. Listen to music, pick up a sport, talk to someone. Also, try to always have company, it's near impossible to cut with someone else in the room. Just keep decreasing the self-harm at a steady rate, I'm sure you'll stop completely in no time. Oh and stay away from any triggers! (:

[Noxail]

*sigh* Why am I the first to point this out? You need to get help with your stepfather first. He obviously is the seed of the problem. Have you talked to your mother about how he treats you? Does anyone but us, and your sister know he hits you? This really bothers me because I've been there, my dad and I would totally fuck each other up. I mean, fist fighting. I've covered for him so many times, black eyes, bruises, cuts, broken bones, I've hidden it all. Our fighting stopped, painfully, but it stopped. I've almost stopped cutting too. You need to get help with your stepfather. In the meantime, distract yourself. Just do somthing else, sing, cry, draw, write, it doesn't matter. Express yourself in another way. If you slip, that's okay. Just keep trying. Stay Strong ~Holli