Alternatives to cutting?

[bleeding_inside]

Does anyone have another way of dealing with urge to cut? Besides "distracting" yourself?

[Castle of Glass]

Yes, i do. read this thread. I posted it on your first thread. read it. (http://www.virtualteen.org/forums/showthread.php?t=190748)

[ksdnfkfr]

I use method 5 as a last ditch alternative. It's called self-flagellation. I use a leather cord as a whip to leave a welt instead of a cut. But read all the steps listed above and combine them as much as possible. They are a big help.

[Luminous]

For about a week at the beginning of this month I had an overwhelming urge to cut (I've only done it once and I hated it, but I have been tempted multiple times to try again, haven't given in) and I started biting my tongue. Just don't bite the tip off. It worked for me, a lot of the pain was in my jaw and not tongue.

[MetroFallout]

Well I personally hate sharp objective coming any where near my skin but my friends have told me to deal with this issue they try to keep there hands busy and they play online game to avoid thinking about it to much

[Caerulus]

I usually hurt myself because my life and thoughts etc feel out of control, and cutting gives me back a bit of that control I feel like I'm losing. It's an awful cycle though, because afterwards, although I feel calmer, I feel guilty for not having the strength or self-discipline to stop myself from continuing with what I know is a bad habit.

In these situations, I sometimes just hold the object I use to hurt myself without actually using it. This calms me down because I feel in control of my addiction; I am in control of one of the weapons hurting me (the others being more uncontrollable, e.g. life, thoughts, as mentioned before) and I am holding it but choosing not to use it. This gives me back a little bit of control.

HOWEVER, I RECOMMEND THIS WITH EXTREME PRECAUTION. If you think this method will only encourage you to use the blade/whatever, DO NOT TRY THIS METHOD. Just because it works for me doesn't necessarily mean it will for you and I don't want to encourage it if that's the case.

[Katiya]

I take pictures or rather took pictures of my cuts with my phone. When i feel like doing it again. ESPECIALLY deep cutting I look at the pictures of my deep cuts and some how that helps, it reminds me that I could still inflict that damage but I don't need to do it again sense I already have. Weird but works for me. Except when I'm angry, then its just an instant reaction to slash something and aim for a big vein. Which scares me as I want to go DEEP but when i'm back to my senses I don't want to ever ruin my gymnastics carer by cutting a tendon or muscle! I *try* to remember this as well.

Another thing when i want to cut for non anger reasons is I just look at my scars and feel them, sometimes this helps. I think because it brings back the memories of the cuts and I relive them in my head and after that some times the feeling goes away.

Also think about infection, you don't want to get any of that crazy stuff! That can be a deterrent but not so much for me. So When you do cut clean it well and cover it till its healed.