Hi guys, recently I’ve been told to stop sh and they took my sharp objects away. I’m trying to so hard to stop sh by distracting myself but in a bad way. I will start binge eating or start to slap my arms which has scars that weren’t fully healed till it bleeds. I hate binge eating because when I realise what I am doing, I will start purging n starving till I lose all that weight and even try to do some dangerous things to myself. It would be nice if someone could recommend me some healthy ways to cope other than me harming myself.. thank you
Thank you for reaching out and sharing something so personal, @Helplesssoul , this takes courage. It’s clear that you are genuinely trying to find healthier ways to cope.
I also want to gently flag something, what you have describe here deserved to ger proper support. I was wondering if you are currently getting any support from mental health professional?
In the meantime, perhaps I can share with you some ways that you can try out and see how it works for you.
Intense but safe physical sensations:
- Squeezing an ice pack or stress ball very hard
- Biting something sour like a lemon or sour candy (the strong taste can help to shift your focus)
- Holding something cold like ice cubes or cold can/bottle (cold sensation can help to interrupt the urges)
You also mentioned there are times wher you try to do some dangerous things, I do want to take this seriously. Any point of time when things felt too overwhlmed and you are unable to keep yourself safe, please do reach out to SOS at 1767 to speak to someone. Alternatively, you can also consider reaching out to National Mindline 1771 by calling them at 1771 or WhatsApp them at 66691771.