Urges

[Never_Forget]

Earlier today I was doing my usual stuff on the pc, mainly watching YouTube vids, while messing with a rectangular piece of plastic from my little brothers lego set. I'd been messing with it for a while when I looked at my arm where my scars used to be, and I imagined the plastic was a razorblade, and dragged it across my arm numerous times. Now all I want to do is go into the bathroom and pick up a razor. I don't get it? Why do I just get these urges?

[SirRawrsalot]

I think it's because cutting has become a part of your routine and it's the way people learn to vent. You just become used to doing it that eventually your brain wants you to. That's what I think, but I'm no scientist... :P

[Never_Forget]

But it's been months since I last cut. Last time was around Christmas.

[SirRawrsalot]

Well, it's not something you forget very easily like it's no big deal. I would assume that if I stopped right now (I wish...) I'd always think about it for just about my whole life. Not constantly, but every once in awhile. Are you stressed out? That's probably why you have the urge to cut.

[byee]

Did you get some therapy when you last cut? Like any illness, if cutting is left untreated, the reasons remain. So, you might have stopped cutting, but as Elliot rightly points out, it's still an urge you have. The reason remains unknown because you haven't treated it, therapy uncovers the reasons people do what they do, so they can then find alternative ways of addressing it.

Better to drag the Lego across your arm, of course, but you're rightly concerned that the urge is still there. Don't act on it, but tell your folks and get to a therapist, OK?

[SirRawrsalot]

Agreed. IAMSAM is almost always.. almost because on the apocalypse he'll be wrong and that's how we'll know! Therapists help a lot. And definitely do not act on the urge to cut. It isn't worth it.

[-Silence]

It's been months since I last cut too, and still to this day, I cannot go to my room, have music on with candles lit, just because that was my routine before, my cutting was all planned out and everything was set up for it, now if I just want to chill out in my room, I get those urges. My body is used to what was happening in those surroundings.

Urges will come, even months later, for me it's harder this much longer than it is in the beginning of quitting.

All you can really do is push those urges away, just believe that nothing good can come from acting on them.

[SirRawrsalot]

Nothing good will come from them and you definitely need to push them away, she's right. This is where self-control comes into play. You need to be able to control what you do with your body and control the urges. We all have urges to do/say a number of stupid things, but we control them.

[byee]

Because I respect Elliot so much, I'll tolerate his lack of confidence in my abilities at such a crucial future moment as the apocalypse!

Anyway, let's clarify the diff between urges and actions. Urges, no matter how powerful or how, are uncomfortable, but they're harmless (other than the distress you might feel inside with them).

Actions, on the other hand, the things you do in response to those urges, are what cause the real problem, they're the culprit here.

As long as you develop ways to address the urges so they do not become actions (behaviors), you've won. The goal would be to develop a barrier between the 2, so the urges do NOT become actions.

Sounds like the 2 of you are successfully doing that. Bravo!

[jma94]

Well, because cutting is addicting, the addiction always remains. It's been months since I last cut, and still I've come OH, so very close. I get urges all the time. It's hard not to act on them with this sort of thing, of course, but what will cutting do for you? Give you very temporary quick fix. And a dangerous one. Don't act on this urge. Think of all you've worked for. And like previously said, see a therapist.

[Ryandel]

I'm not sure but, the cutting became a normal thing in your life, that it's been included in your routine.
The thing is, is that you only had the urge to, you didn't necessarily actually cut yourself. You're developing good self-control from withdrawing yourself from these actions.

[liam]

i never cut... but i imagine its a horrible urge when your trying to quit. I imagine its like trying to quit smoking. Just hang ing there and push the urges away.

[Rutherford The Brave]

Use my list of things to do instead of cutting those could possibly help when you have those urges.

[byee]

I might be picky here, but cutting is NOT addicting, that would suggest it is out of your control, that you have a physical 'need' to do it that's caused by some physical/chemical dependence, like heroin addiction, that you cannot just consciously stop.

But you can. It's hard, you need to struggle with it, but you CAN control those urges. If you cannot, get to a doctor!