Preventing it?

[Dunce]

I don't self harm, but I think about it every night. It's hard not to pick up the razor and hurt myself. I feel like this when I have a bad night, which is almost every night. But it gets really bad when I'm stressed. I was babysitting last night and the boy had a tantrum and got really upset over something small and all I wanted to do was sit there and cry. I caught site of the cutlery drawer and I wanted so bad to get a knife and literally bludgeon up my arms.

I havent done it yet. I don't want to start. Is there anything I can do to make sure I dont start?

[Fiction]

Starting is a bad idea. It's a horrible thing to get into. It becomes an addiction and messes up your life.
Try and keep anything you could use away from you, and when you feel like doing it tell yourself it will only make things worse, not better.
Maybe you could see a professional about your problems? It might help you to see things in another way and not want to hurt yourself.

[Dunce]

I'm trying to get help at the moment, but I don't really know how :/ I know if I tell my mum she'll blame it on lack of excersise or whatever... so I'm going to go to the school counsellor and she might(as she always does) ring my parents.
I'll try entertain myself with something else when I'm around sharp stuff :P

[DarkHorses]

I think that the key to preventing self harm is finding alternative ways to handle your emotions. Self harm is something we do when we feel hopeless, and as if there is nothing else we can do to feel better. When you get the longing and the sense of hopelessness you need to prove to yourself that there are other, healthier things you can do besides cutting yourself. Try writing, reading, coming online, going for a walk to distract yourself, or anything you feel what help you get your mind off of your emotions. Talking to someone is also a great idea. It doesn't even have to be about how you're feeling; you could even just call up a friend and see what they're up to, simply to focus on other things besides cutting. There are a lot of things that can help.

Self harm is definitely not something you want to start doing, and I admire the fact that you realize this. When I started self harming I didn't think it was a bad thing at all, and it's really great that you realize this isn't true. You should really be proud. :)

[Bath]

Once you start, the urge gets worse. I'll tell you what I tell anyone else, and this has worked for me too.. distract yourself. Write, go on the internet, breathe slowly and count to 20, draw, dance, scream into a pillow. There's loads you can do, so get involved in that and it should help.

If you're weak like me and sometimes it just doesn't help, use an ice cube and place it against where you want to cut. It hurts, but doesn't harm you.

[Dunce]

Ok.. I do most of these things anyway.. but I'll try do them more. And instead of writing about how much I want to cut I'll write about something else :/ because writing about how I feel doesnt distract me O_o

[Bath]

Ok.. I do most of these things anyway.. but I'll try do them more. And instead of writing about how much I want to cut I'll write about something else :/ because writing about how I feel doesnt distract me O_o

That's a good thing to do. xD
I clean the house to distract myself sometimes, because I'm a strange little girl but it might work for you too, lol.(: Or study/do homework. Distraction plus good use.

[Dunce]

Haha, cleaning's a good idea, it takes your mind off it, it burns carbs and it makes the place clean :P