Some people find that dealing with physical pain is easier than dealing with emotional pain.
Most people who self-injure tend to be perfectionists, are unable to handle intense feelings, are unable to express their emotions verbally, have dislike for themselves and their bodies, and can experience severe mood swings.
Self-injury can help someone relieve intense feelings such as anger, sadness, loneliness, shame, guilt and emotional pain. Many people who cut themselves, do this in an attempt to try and release all the emotions they are feeling internally. Others may feel so numb, that seeing their own blood when they cut themselves, helps them to feel alive because they usually feel so dead inside.
If you feel the urge to injure yourself, below is a list of suggestions that might help you to overcome that urge. Please be advised that not all of these suggestions will be helpful to everyone. What is helpful to one person, may not be helpful to someone else. These suggestions have been provided by individuals who self injured and what they found helpful to them. If you feel that a certain suggestion may in fact cause you to want to self injure even more, do NOT use that suggestion. Find ones that are helpful for you. Again, these are only suggestions and may not be helpful to everyone.
1.deep breathing
2.relaxation techniques
3.call a friend, your therapist or a crisis line
try not be be alone (visit a friend, go shopping, etc.)
4.take a hot bath
5.listen to music
6.go for a walk
7.write in a journal
8.wear an elastic around wrist and snap it when you have the urge to harm yourself
9.some people find it helpful to draw red lines on themselves with washable markers instead of cutting themselves
10.hold ice cubes in your hands - the cold causes pain in your hands, but it is not dangerous or harmful (some people find it relieves the urge to harm themselves for that moment)
11.punching a bed or a pillow (when nothing but a physical outlet for your anger and frustration will work).
12.scratch draw a picture on a thick piece of wood or use a screw driver and stab at the piece of wood. (can be another physical way to release your emotions without harming yourself.)
13.avoid temptation (i.e. avoiding the area in CVS where the razor blades are kept, etc.)
14.try to find your own creative ways as outlets for emotions.
15.learn to confront others/making your own feelings known instead of keeping them inside
go outside and scream and yell
16.take up a sport (a form of exercise can help you release tension, etc.)
17.work with paint, clay, play-doo, etc. (the person who suggested this mentioned that they would make a big sculpture and do whatever they wanted to it. They said it was helpful to calm the urge to self-injure, plus it gave them some idea of what might be underlying the pain.
18.draw a picture of what or who is making you angry
instead of harming yourself, try massaging the area you want to harm with massage oils or creams, reminding yourself that you are special and you deserve to treat yourself and your body with love and respect
19.go to church or your place of worship
wear a pipe cleaner or something that will fit on the places that you injure. One person did this as a way to remind herself that she could call someone instead of hurting herself and that she had other ways to cope.
20.break the object that you use to self-injure as a way to show that you have control over it.
21.write a letter to the person(s) that have hurt you and express how they made you feel. Theses letters do not have to be in perfect form and you do not have to please anyone but yourself. You do not have to give these letters to the people, but it is a great way to release the feelings that you are carrying within. After you write the letters, you can decide then what to do with them. Some people find destroying the letters help.