thank you :')

i just read this thread to stop me.
seeing everyones ways to stop, and their determination It helped :)

Sometimes the distraction helps (:

I downloaded a .pdf of "Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Dummies" and that's really helped me.

I usually go on Facebook or come on here !

I have a box of random things I can do like draw, color, paint my nails, read a magazine, read a book, just anything that can distract me that i can put in there, and I also have a list of other things i can do, like go to the gym, go to a friend's house, text/call a close friend, and whenever i want to cut, i tell myself i have to do five things from my box, and then if i still feel like cutting, i can. usually i don't, but in the beginning i made it ten things, because it was a lot harder.

I am still getting the hang of being SH free... but so far, what works for me, is when I am really tempted and I feel my skin crawling, I just hug myself. As dumb as that sounds. It keeps my hands in place and it gives me time to calm down. Also, playing the bass guitar/writing help so much. You don't have to write anything "profound" just write down the rambles that are going through your mind. Once they are out, let them stay out. It's helped me a lot.

Being around people really helps me.
Have a good cry.
Sleep.
Going for a random drive with the radio on nice and loud.
work keeps my mind off it.

I often write letters. I address them to a person I trust but don't send them. I just find it helpful to get it all out and also to imagine what my trusted friend would reply if they were to receive the letter. Sometimes at a later time I have been able to reply to myself. I've kept them in the hope that if I was to get an urge, I will be able to see what helped me through the last urge

What worked for me was if i wanted to sh a word into my body rather then doing that i would grab my eyeliner (Pencil) and write it on if i was angry i would just press deeper, stay there for about a week and clearly the urge to do that had gone by then. I think i had about 11 words on me at once :)

I play on the sims too, it's a great distraction and the time flies when you play on it!
Fake tattoos - I put them on my legs and it stops me from sh'ing as I don't want to ruin them.

There's a few things I do.
Writting helps, drawing on my skin (ie the fake tattoos, i usually wash it off the next time I take a shower), music is a big one, I currently have a pool in my backyard,so if its not too late I go for a swim, theres been a couple of times where I stay out all day in it. Going to work helped generally, it was usually hard to get away for a couple of minutes, so that was good. Texting (occasionally calling) friends. All but one of my friends live out of state ( I moved about 6-7 weeks ago). I currently dont have a razor blade, so I had razors (to shave my legs and arms) that I would have to cut open to get the razor out and generally afterwards I didnt want to cut anymore. Getting on RYL and chatting. Reading a book, watching my favorite show (ie Xena or Charmed), video games really is good, especially if u have a wii. I love violent video games when I am pissed. Reading a book and watching shows is generally when I have calmed down a bit.
This morning I had to shave and all I wanted to do was cut and cry (and I hate crying, I dont like it, I feel weak, not that I think other ppl r, I just hate showing ppl Im human or something?) so I told myself if I could wash and shave and cut the razor open and still want to cut I could. By the time I was done taking a bath I didnt want to cut. So thats all I can think of...

Im glad this thread is here, I hope I have given u some ideas on how to stop.

I like it, and it is so much xtra effort!
and I recently got to the point where I can show my arms again, Id rather not have to go back to hiding them, especially since its hot and most of the cute clothes I have either have very little sleeve r none. I am going to start using this one as well

i dont recommend starting smoking as a replacement.......

keeping busy and most of all having the right people to support you!

Play with a pet.

Some ideas:
- make hurdles for the cat out of boxes, then throw a toy so the cat jumps over them all.
- make shadows for the cat/dog to chase, or use a torch
- train to shake paw, roll over, jump through a plastic hoop, dance etc.

If your pet is asleep or lazy:
- try to balance (light) objects on the cat's head without her/him noticing
- make random noises and see if the cat responds. Try out various ringtones; my mobile has meowing and barking sounds.
- try to put a toilet tube on the cat's tail
- tease cat with long piece of string

For smaller pets (guinea pigs, rats, mice, rabbits):
- collect lots of different sized cardboard boxes, tubes etc. Then make mazes for your pet and hide bits of their favorite food around to encourage them to explore.

Take a piece of paper and a number two pencil and draw lines on the paper like you would with your body and a knife on the paper, make sure you cover the whole entire page and let it all out

Plenty of caffeine.
not to say replace sh with a caffeine addiction. Going to the movies. Its dark and you're with your people but you don't need to talk, you just be together, and distract yourself. Also I've found rollerskating to be a great release

I have a couple of things I do:
- Make coffee and force myself to do college work while I drink it.
- Write. About everything and nothing at the same time.
- Watch my hamster go about his day.
- Make friendship bracelets. Keeps my hands busy and all the patterns are amazing.
- Paint. Usually it comes out looking terrible, but it doesn't matter.
- Eat fruit until I feel completely full. Fruit is amazing. <3

Music! Almost by the time I stopped SI I started practicing guitar...
While it helps you preventing SI, it also makes you feel good, productive, great! :)

Polish my shoes! Even though im not doing so great at the moment, still, that isnt the shoes fault they did their best

I lol'd :p That sounds like a fun game, I will genuinely try that on my cat.

My ideas:
-colouring-in
-cooking
-eating tic-tacs (my solution to most problems tbh)
-talking to people. Either about how you feel, or just about random nonsense
-buy wacky tights

I had stopped for a long time and I found writing everything I felt but found I couldn't always say for fear of being mean or hurting someone. Also, trying to talk to myself as if the me that was struggling was another person, a child that I could tell it's okay to feel like this and it's okay to want to curl up with a blanket and do childish things. Taking the pressure of and admitting to myself what I was doing helped. I also carry around a ribbon that I almost always am fiddling with in my fingers, it distracts and calms me because it gives you a sensation on your skin and keeps you distracted.

Well.. I let myself feel what I am, and usually end up in tears. And then when I sleep it off, it always, always helps. Tomorrow is new day, a new start :)

- drawing, painting, colouring - anything creative/artistic with your hards
- talking to someone
- exercise.. going for a run

It actually has helped for me to realize I DO like to cut. When I told myself it made me feel awful but I just had this need to do it, it kept on making me feel powerless, like I can't stop and have no control. I realize now I do it because I like it. That makes me realize it's not "a part of me" but something I like to do, so I feel it's controlable. Do I even make sense?

The less I talk about it, the less likely I am to engage in it. Not counting the days helps. Telling myself that I don't have to replapse! A huge one. My mistake was saying relapses are part of recovery. While there's truth in that, I kept letting that slide me into relapsing. When I get stressed I have the tendancy like everybody else to cut or something, and I think that there's no way I can handle the stress, I have no control, and I just relapse. I have noticed by telling myself I will NOT allow a relapse and actually meaning it, and that it's not an addiction but a choice and I have all control to quit when it gets tough is eliminating strong urges. I still get urges but I don't feel like it's a must as bad as I did before.

Leaving the house and going somewhere helps obviously if the option is available.

Remembering the urge will pass. I play tricks on myself to feel as if I need self injury or I'm going to die. But I don't need it, it will go away.

I'm not recovered but after four years of doing it and three of trying to quit this is the most confident I've felt since two years ago when I made it 5 months, in fact more so then. My last one that left more noticable wounds was probably september, and the last one I did that wasn't serious (another tip I found... don't allow yourself to hit or scratch yourself because it's less worse... pushes you to do something worse and is honestly the same) was october. But I'm trying like everybody else.

Retrosimplicity - YES, you make sense. I feel like I need to start thinking more like you. Feeling like you're in control of it (at least for me) is important. And remembering it will pass is great too. :)

For me, I just try to keep my hands busy until the urge passes. I write, paint, draw, and the biggest one lately, I've gotten really into making handmade jewelry. I've made so much that I've started selling it online, and I find that really helps me...it makes me feel so much better about myself that I can manage to run a small business online, and when I want to self-harm, I remind myself of that, and make more jewelry, and it helps me feel better....productive. It's 5:30am and I have noooo idea if I'm making any sense at all.

But yeah, basically, I just keep my hands busy.

I've just bought a candle, and I guess I'm using the same approach as the butterfly technique. It's a massive candle and I'm telling myself I won't self harm until it's all gone. Obviously then I hope I shall be buying another candle! I really love it because it's a gorgeous smell, beautiful to look at and quite soothing.

I recently relapsed so I don't have many tips for not doing it but for the two years I didn't do it I read alot since I love reading and it always took my mind off of things and relaxed me. Also what helped me alot during those two years was my growing passion for music I would stay up all night finding new bands or singers and listen to anything I could get my hands on and when I can afford a guitar I plan on learning how to play. Music really helped me through alot and is such a constant in my life these days I don't know what I would do without it.

Tig: I love your idea, I'll definitely try it !

I'm currently one week free, and I found that going out with friends helped me a lot. I laughed, I did crazy things and I had some fun. I really helped to beat the urges and it also made me feel better :)

Also, making soup. It really helps, because you feel relief and confort while peeling the vegetables. It feels like your cutting your skin, so you get the same feeling as when you're sh-ing. It's amazing, it really makes the urges disappear.

I also find drawing in my arms really helpful. Some days ago, I drew butterflies around my scars, and I went to sleep. When I woke up the next morning, the urges were gone.

Good luck everybody, stay strong, you'll do it :D

I do EXTREME exercise. It takes my mind off things.

Well
 

I had made a nice star-tattoo a bit more than month ago.
I've always had this weird relationship with stars. Like when i feel totally bad or angry or sth i just think myself to the sky and in some way im with stars. So yeahh... They have good influence on me. They can make me calm down. And now i have one on my wrist for rest of my life. And as this is on my wrist i just don't want to hurt it (the star). Even when i have the urge i just wach it and i just can't do harm on It.

:)

Sorry if the English isn't the best but hope you guys get the idea :)

I find that NOT thinking about it, or even thinking about recovering helps a lot.

Don't think about what you're distracting yourself for, don't count the days, don't think about it as much as you can, because by doing that, you're ultimately thinking of SH and reminding yourself that you're different. Try to avoid talking about it (unless you have an urge and need help, or want to vent) or doing things that will remind you of it, just remove yourself completely from it, mentally and physically. :)

When I completely forget it's there, I don't even think about doing it! :)

When I'm triggered, I find that by reminding that you're distracting yourself, you're thinking of SH, so that doesn't help. I just mentally say 'No.', talk to someone, and forget all about it! (So the butterfly project hinders more than helps me, but everyone is different!)

EDIT:
And if all else fails and you can't get it off your mind:
NAP! :)
When I don't have anybody to vent to, a nice cry to get my feelings out, then taking a nap relaxes me and I feel great when I wake up. ^^

I'm a week and a half free at the moment after relapsing after my longest free period (almost 5 months). I was never really sure how to actually quit, which is probably why I kept on relapsing, but this site has really helped me. I've been trying the butterfly project, writing, and drawing, which all help me. Also, I found a huge amount of multi-colored bracelets in my room. I looked up the different colors for various things, like orange for SI. I picked out all the colors that have significance to my life, and I have been wearing them. Whenever I get depressed or upset, somehow the bracelets make me remember all I have been through, and all I have to look forward too. Also, it is fun to play with them as a distraction :)

I'd say find something you love doing (e.g: playing an instrument, sport or socialising) and just spend every spare, waking moment doing it. I play guitar and skate. Every time I go to the skatepark, I try and learn something new and I go home feeling like I've achieved something. Or when I learn a new song that at first I thought was reallyreallyreally hard, it makes me feel good. Hobbies are definately a good distraction technique.

This Helps Me
 

I try not to keep count regularly, but I still celebrate the anniversary of when I stopped every month. It gives me something I can look forward to. I have also found putting henna designs over where I SI helps (make sure if you do this to look up how to do it without harming newer injuries.) It distracts me from wanting to and it allows me to sometimes forget that my scars are even there. Not to mention it is really fun and inexpensive to do. Here is a good website to show how henna works on scars http://www.hennapage.com/henna/encyclopedia/skin/scars/

Over all it is just good to stay busy and positive! <3

Finding something I love doing that I couldn't do if I was currently self harming, or that would be effected badly if I did.

I've found that self harm was such a good (although maladaptive) coping mechanism for me that it worked nearly every time, instantly and the amount I needed it. It meant I was very reluctant when in distress to try something new as other mechanisms took more work, were less instant, weren't guarenteed to work, so I'd often not take the gamble.

I enjoy running/ exercise, I also love my job which is quite physical, I can't do either well when I'm anemic or have stitches. Having those things in my life I don't want to lose makes me think twice before harming.

Remembering that you aren't alone, that no matter how bad and how urgent that urge is, it does and will eventually pass, scars may tell a story, but living a life where scars, and blood, and covering up are just part of your past, is much more fulfilling.
The world is full of opportunities, and hurting yourself only makes things worse.

I call my partner, or if she's there I cuddle with her and/or we sleep together (not sexually).

I think about what self-harming would actually accomplish, why damaging my body is really such a good idea (or not). I think about the guilt, having to hide the wounds. How I have much better ways to perform self-care now.

Just letting myself cry helped lots for me!
As simple as it seems, after I've cried I can usually calm down, step back from the situation and think rationally.

Also, NOT counting the days helped me not to identify myself with self harm, and therefore not think about it and just completely erase it from my life. :D I found that having things to remind myself of it (counting days, butterfly project etc.) just reminded me that I was a self harmer and did the opposite of help for me.

I think I'm around 11 months free right now! :D

Reading all the posts in this sub-forum make me so glad and happy that this forum exists in the first place. I know it's helped so so many people including myself, and I hope everyone becomes happy :)

I simply hang out with my friends and keep myself busy from doing my hobbies such as cooking and reading books. Sometimes erroneous words do really break me, but now I make myself tough from all of them. I did not allow negative words to ruin my day.

For me, listening to calming piano music, playing the piano, and spending time with my best friend (my german shepherd dog) have helped the most. I haven't recovered yet.. but when I get the urge to cut I lay on my bed, close my eyes and immerse myself in music. I shut everything else out and focus only on the music until I forgot whatever triggered me or until I fall asleep :P

doing things i love :)

Before I do anything else I try to check 5 things (to memorize them I use my fingers):
When was the last time I:
1) got sleep
2) ate
3) drank (not alcohol or coffein!)
4) went outside
5) talked to someone nice
Then I check if I'm cold. Then I ask myself, what do I feel or need aside from the urge to SH? Then I try distraction (see the distraction page or this thread).
It's really basic stuff, but for me it has been helpful. I'll be free for 2 years in 4weeks :)

-not giving in-
 

Heard this song today and thought of all of you out there needing some motivation.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy-7dnNvfII"]Rudimental - Not Giving In (featuring. John Newman &amp; Alex Clare) (Radio Edit) + HD &amp; High Quality - YouTube[/ame]

Haven't SH for a whole week now and feel encouraged by this song specially at full volume. Some of you might find this style of music too 'mainstream' or what ever but I want to encourage you still to give it go.

x

:thumbup:

onething that helped me was if you look in my siggy I went to pitapata.com and got made a timeline wich helps me count the days and see how far ive gotten

I'm now 5yrs or so free (had a few 'mishaps' last year) and have found that taking it one day at a time helps and not 'blaming' yourself if you do slip up.
I found writing down my feelings let me 'feel' my emotions better than SI.

It will be 7 years for me in October (wow! Is it even possible?!) In the beginning, I stayed on RYL all day. When I'd have urges late at night, when things were quiet and everyone was asleep, I'd play the games on here. It was because of RYL I found out about escape the room games. Once I felt comfortable in my recovery outside of RYL I took up knitting. That kept my hands, and mind, busy. And creating lovely things gave me a sense of accomplishment.

My husband was also a wonderful support. Now I am a Christian, and I find that reading the Bible keeps me feeling hopeful instead of hopeless. There are times I nearly slip, but I have stayed clean these years. It's a great feeling.