How to stop...

[FullyAlive]

So I've been cutting for around 10 months I don't really remember why I started it was just everything getting on top of me and it happened but now some "friends" reported their concerns to school who told my mother she made me feel so guilty it took me a while but I managed to convince her that I'm ok but truth is i'm not. There is this teacher at school, the assistant head, shes the one who confronted me originally but she is really nice she makes time for me to talk to her and she let's me vent. However its the christmas holidays now and even when we go back i'm not sure i could talk to her i feel so awkward and such a burden. The main problem is I feel like all these people expect me to stop my teacher, my mother, my friends but what if I can't it's so hard and sometimes its all I can think about what do I do? Any help will be so appreciated.

[Fiction]

I think that you should talk to your teacher again. If she listened the first time then she won't see you as a burden on her. Maybe then they will be able to again tell your mother, and you may be able to get professional help :)

[Mike321]

I think you should still talk to the teacher, I dont think she will see you as a burden, she made time to help you in the past i'm sure she will do it when you go back to school.
And maybe when you feel more confident about talking to her about it, see if she can advise you on any form of professional help

[MadManWithaBox]

If she didn't want to help you, I doubt she would of. Just talk to her, or if not her, then someone else like a mate or counsellor? Message me any time

[georgiamay]

telling your teacher will definately be a great step to take. If she listened the first time, it shows she cares, and that means she'll listen again. If you ask, she might be able to suggest places you could go and get some councelling.

Maybe tell your mum that you need some support, and that making you feel guilty about it all makes you feel worse. Tell her that you need some help. If you don't want to actually say it, maybe write her a note and leave it out so she can find it.

Maybe ask your mum or the teacher if you can get some kind of professional help. Good luck :)

[FullyAlive]

Thanks for the advice maybe I will talk to her again but I'm worried do you think I would have to tell her I still cut? I am working on it but I'd be lying to her if I told her I didn't do it anymore. I just don't want her to judge me she's offered me help and I feel like I screwed up but the things she has suggested like elastic bands aren't working.

[MadManWithaBox]

I'd say so yes. She won't jude you she'll just want to help you. If elastic bands aren't working, then you try something else.

[FullyAlive]

Any suggestions of other things to try?

[MadManWithaBox]

Well just some sort of distraction. You could a video game, take a bath, read a book. Start a project? I write poems and stuff. Whichever floats your boat.

[FullyAlive]

Thanks you've been so helpful I'm sorry to have kept annoying you it's just it's all so immpossibly hard but again thank you :)

[MadManWithaBox]

No bother at all, talk all you want, I'm here to help :)

[FullyAlive]

Well then I have one more question this is going off topic but am I mAking a big deal out of nothing? I mean look at the amount of people on here maybe it's not really a problem we all just think it is?? Surely it's better than bottling stuff up?? I don't know...

[MadManWithaBox]

No it's not. We shouldn't have problems like this, and if we do, we should work to get rid of of them. And we can cope with them in healthier ways than cuttings. It's the worst way to cope.

[Fiction]

As Matthew said, self harm is an unhealthy way to let out your emotions. It is also an addicting way, meaning that we can't stop even when we are not exeperiencing anything we need to cope with. This is what makes it a problem compared to other coping methods.

[Meaningless-Darkness]

I really think you should tell your teacher and the whole truth this way she can help in the best pissible way!

Have you tried writing on yourself. Making lines with a pen to show where you would cut? Setting yourself a timed gap can help. Like if you feel bad enough to cut, try saying tomorrow. Then when tomorrow comes you have one possitive day behind you, then try and see if you can make two and so on and so on. Then say if after 3 days you do, then you can start the process over again. Each time seeing if you can go a bit longer. In the future if you managed to make a month then thats even more motivationnot to do it. Hope ive explained this right and that it helps!