Why do you cut?

[stev]

I've never cut myself before and never will I see no need to but I keep reading about people cutting themselves....What do you feel after you've cut your self...and why do you do it ...

[VictoriaGotaSecret]

I don't feel anything anymore unless I have a large area opened up. I cut because its a way that I can take my mind off things

[CaileenPatrice]

I feel temporary relief from the world around me. The pain feels good. I love it. It helps me stay awake alive when everyone else seems to be sleeping.

[Mortal Coil]

I cut for a ton of reasons. If I eat too much, I cut to punish myself.
For me, it isn't about the pain so much as the damage. I don't care how much the cuts hurt; I care how deep or jagged they are and how much blood I lose. I cut because I hate myself so much that I get a satisfaction out of mutilating my disgusting body.

[HeartCoreHannah]

I've never cut myself before and never will I see no need to but I keep reading about people cutting themselves....What do you feel after you've cut your self...and why do you do it ...

I always feel extremely guilty. Like I have let my family, friends, and myself down. Plus, for me, I don't really feel the physical pain until after a few hours I have cut, so there is a lot of that also.

I cut for multiple reasons; I feel like I deserve it, I don't like the person I've become over the past few years, body image issues, ect.

It's good you don't ever plan to cut. It isn't a good thing to get into. It ruins people's lives. I don't think anyone knows what they are getting their self into with the first cut they make.

Best of luck to you. xx

[Love.Hate]

Because it makes me feel less numb.. I don't know, just reminds me im alive sometimes

[Desuetude]

I guess I feel a sense of relief, my mind stops for a couple of seconds and calmness just washes over me. It's peaceful.
Lots of reasons: to punish myself, an attempt to stop the thoughts, disappointed/angry at myself, take my feelings out on myself rather than others and the most stupid reason - I love the scars, they're the most beautiful part of me. I need them. There are a ton more reasons but I can't think of them or put them into words right now.

It's great you're not thinking about it, like Hannah said it ruins lives. There comes a point where it's all your think about, you're just holding on until your next release. You think you control it but it really controls you. It's no way to get by.

[jayyy-lmao]

I asked my friend the same question the other day.
She said that "Although I seem very happy, I'm on anti-depressants."
I was shocked cos she is so bubbly and happy, kind and helpful.
But some people just need to let it out, and this is how.

[Mynick]

Basicly i cut to punish myself. It really gives me a sense o reliefe and i love the smell of my own blood.
Also, when i'm forced to do a public presentation, it calms my nerves.

[autismtwin]

I do it for a variety of reasons:
As a punishment
The physical pain is better than the emotional pain
If I hurt myself, then others' can't hurt me.
I also have really bad anxiety.
To release all of the pain and self hatred.

[stev]

Out of curiosity have any of you tried to break the habit...If so how hard was that ?

[VictoriaGotaSecret]

Out of curiosity have any of you tried to break the habit...If so how hard was that ?

I have and that doesn't work. Its hard because the things that made you do it are still going on and if they weren't I probably would have stopped, but It also may become addicting after a while

[ackmedsgirl666]

i cut to let loose of anxiety and depressing feelings/thoughts
i dont do it for attention or for suicide... i do it so the pain i feel on the inside i let go and feel on the outside....

[Sonic Boom]

I don't do this anymore, but I used to self-harm to punish myself.

[Mynick]

I've tried to stop but even if I somehow manage to not do it for a couple of days, the next week I cut a lot more and deeper or I start crying...
its hard to explain sorry

[Lunar]

I don't cut, although my friend does... :(

She told me that it takes her mind off of stress and turns it into physical pain.

[LoveMe_HateMe]

Short answer: because I deserve it. Yes been trying to quite for over 2 years now.

[Sudds3]

I cut to make myself remember that i can still feel. Ive become so numb to all yhe pain and shit in th world that actual pain helps me to realize that im still here.

I also do it to release tension and anger a little, that feeling after i slice the blade through my upper forearm a few times and hold a blood soaked tissue over it i just feel calm. Sitting up against the bathroom wall i feel like im completely there and at ease. Yet the joy is short lived

[Elysium]

I don't do it often, but I do it because of stress or anxiety, usually. It used to be just when I had mood swings, but now I'm getting a regular urge to do it because I'm so anxious or stressed about something; usually school.

Afterwards, even if it stings, it makes me feel better because physical pain is somehow easier to cope with than emotional pain. It takes my mind off whatever's bothering me.

[CharlieHorse]

I've done it for many different reasons:
-testing the sharpness of a kitchen knife or other blade. (:p)
-it makes me feel even more depressed, and being depressed feels great sometimes. I'm not going to go into bloody detail because it's complicated.
-a little blood is pretty. Red is pretty.
-usually makes me feel calm/relaxed.
-and I admit I've done it to get a little attention before.

[Fiction]

There is something so calming about blood. When your head is going crazy I always end up doing it on impulse. It only hurts at first, and after that I feel so much calmer sitting watching the blood. I can't even explain it.

I've done it for other reasons too, but that's the main one. There's been times when i've done it too feel something and there's been times when i've done it to punish myself.

I think i'm just most comfortable doing anything that's self destructive.

I'm triggering myself though.

[Perfect_Insanity]

Sometimes it's the only way to stop the tears.

I've tried to quit a couple of times, but I usually relapse in a few weeks or so.

[xarvon1412]

I do it for a lot of reasons. My main one is because for a second, it's the only thing that's feeling my mind. It's not emotional pain, but rather physical pain that is taking up my mind's space. I can deal with physical pain a lot better than I do emotional and mental pain.

[Megson]

It's distracting. I cut to stop the tears, to fight the pain, to relieve stress, to punish myself for something, to get the built-up emotions out... It depends on the moment.

For me, I feel so much better when I cut. It's like instant relief. It keeps my mind off of whatever I was feeling before. Afterwards, though, I just feel anxious and guilty and I almost always regret it.

I still haven't figured out if the trade-off is worth it.

[Disasterology]

I do cus it helps me release my anxiety, and forget about all the emotional turmoil, it doesn't matter how many times I've tried to stop cus I'm going to continue for quite some time

[World Eater]

Self loathing, because I consider myself worthless and pathetic. That and it helps me think about other things.

[RazorTourniquet]

Out of guilt, shame, self hatered, self loathing, emotional pain, anger, helplessness, emptiness, when I'm not allowed to say or think what I want to, when I'm pressured, when I'm numb and sometimes out of nowhere or just because I miss it. It really helps me but it hurts the ones who love me and they don't seem to understand. To be honest most of the times I don't realise the reason I'm doing it. I just feel like doing it so I'm doing it. Don't start it though, you'll have to hide the cuts and/or burns and nobody will even try to understand.

[MrMundane]

It give me a moment of clarity, Adrenaline, and something to feel besides the black hole that consumes my emotions.

[What_ever]

I do it because I'm sad and I feel that's the only way to control my sadness. And after cutting I feel relieved for a while and then sad again. So ... it's awful.

[ruby_]

It relaxes me, it's like the blood is the pain leaving my body. It only takes it away for a short while, and then it's back even worse and I feel horrible and ashamed for it.

[The Awkward Artist]

My parents divorced in third grade, and I've been battling depression since (didn't realize until 6th grade, and still have never gotten help. Steadily getting worse.) Up until about a year ago, I was constantly fighting with my mom AND dad. Now it's only dad. He locks himself in his room, leaving me to take care of my brother, and when he comes out of his room, I get berated for acting like a parent. Plus, he yells at me if I get anything lower than an A- in school. Having friends who constantly need help because of physical impairments and their also abusive and drug addict parents doesn't help either. A bunch of other crap has been happening too.

It's my way of dealing, I guess. Makes me feel something other than sadness, hurt, stress, etc...

[RakshaMalayka]

The first time i had no idea what i was doing it just kinda happened, but now its an escape. When there's a million things spinning through my head at once, emotions running too strong, the stress building up in my skull, the voices of everyone mixed with that one whirling through my brain.... When it's just too much i know exactly one thing that makes everything go away. I feel calm, untouched, empty.... but not exactly in a bad way. Everything i deal with is gone and its just me left.
But soon after i feel the disappointment in myself, I've let myself and everyone i care about down....

[ReginaGeorge]

I'm very out of touch with my emotions, I have no idea why I do it.

[Smeagol]

I cut to stop crying. I cut to feel something other than emptiness. When I cut I feel serene. I really want to cut, all the time, I just... Don't ever get into this habit, please, whoever is reading this. If you already have, please try to stop. I have sort of stopped, but I just.... Oh dear. I'm rambling. But anyways, these are my reasons.

[MisterNobody]

I try to abstain from cutting, but I tend to do it when I'm edgy and distraught and overwhelmed. Sometimes I do it to feel a release, other times I do it simply to feel. I'm not proud of it and I go to great lengths to hide my scars... that's why I cut on my upper arm as opposed to my wrists - I learned that one that hard way.

[Russ]

I don't know there's something about watching blood drip down my arm that's relaxing,it quietens everything else thats going through my head

[Ashleigh]

I cut myself because when I cant feel anything it offers a solution to my problems. It is something that is physical and it helps to take my mind off of things for a little while. I cut myself because I am weak and pathetic. I am worthless and if I do not hurt myself then others will only hurt me worse. I hurt myself when I am hurting inside because it is the only way that I know how to let it out. I hurt myself because I am angry with things that have happened in my past, the choices I made.
Most importantly though I cut myself because I deserve it.

[greenemelie]

I cut to take my mind off of things, and I love the pain.

[steellord321]

Well first time for me last night so dunno why exactly yet, but i'm scared it will become a habit. I just remember feeling really overwhelmed then i cut a bit and felt relief at first, like my problems went away. But then today i woke early in pain so i guess i cut in the wrong place or too deep...I also didn't think ahead with the bleeding but i guess that's the point, i was not thinkin of after when i went to do it. I don't regret it so much as hate what life has become that led to it. I was thinkin about cutting for weeks even.

[BlueOwl]

Please don't, you'll regret it.

And because I deserve it.

[autismtwin]

Out of curiosity have any of you tried to break the habit...If so how hard was that ?

I tried to stop at one point. I went ten weeks without cutting, then I went back to it. After those ten weeks I cut even worse. Now it's harder to stop each time I try