I haven't regularly cut in years. I do occasionally find the urge too strong to resist, but I was wondering if the urge ever dies down. I cut for 8 years, almost daily, and I haven't cut more than a few times a year in the last 7 years. I am 28 now and I still think about it a lot. Does it get better, or am I still not there yet?
It will get better, but you are still not there yet until you are SI/SH free. Well done, you have achieved so much and doing very well! You should be so proud xx
“The consequences of today are determined by the actions of the past. To change your future, alter your decisions today.”
I am not able to say from personal experience (I tend to manage about a month at a time, tops), but my bf has been si free now for quite a few years. He says he still have some urges at times of great stress, but that they are controllable.
He controlls them, rather than they controll him. If that makes sense.
In short. It gets better, and more manageable. I don't believe it ever goes away though.
Roiben x
If the Human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we wouldn't.
It does get better over time. Last time for me was 08. I still get the urges when I am stressed or my meds are off and have a hard time handling things. But I somehow manage to make it thru. I have gotten close esp now my therapist keeps trying to bring up the past that i really am not ready to deal with. But I will usually try to stay busy. It can be hard to stay grounded I will usually blast my music as loud as it will go, read, watch tv, play games, talk online just to keep ur mind off things or with a friend and even come on here and other places to see what others do to make it thru. Sometimes I will try use ice or take a hot shower to try and relax. I hope you keep it up you should be very proud of yourself. Good luck.
"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start now and make a brand new ending. "
Thanks for the input everyone. I usually try to keep myself busy to get by, but I stay SO busy, sometimes it makes things worse I think. I am late for work, cause I dont want to leave "free" time. Most of the urges are controlable, but not always.
Keep at it! Your doing well
I still get urges at times but you find ways of coping to avoid those urges when it happens.......you also sense when those urges are going to come up and attempt to avoid them
It's been 4.5 years since the last time I cut myself. I find that the urges get farther and farther apart as time goes on. I wonder the same thing as you. The biggest victory for me so far has been shifting SIer from something I am to something I used to be. Internally, that's what's gotten me this far. Will I ever get to the point where I'm a person who used to get urges to hurt myself? Its hard to say.
I think there's definite reason to think that it does get better. If I can put myself in the mind of myself 5 years ago, I think it could be hard to think that it could get better. Knowing what I know now, its clear that it could and did get better. I have no reason to think that me 5, 10, or 20 years from now couldn't say the same thing about me today.
I find it more important to appreciate where I am today, the progress that I've made, and the progress I will continue to make, than it is to think about getting to a time when I don't get the urge to hurt myself. My life may get better, I may get stronger, but there will always be problems. That's as sure as breathing. Even if I get to a point where I will never be tempted again, there will be something else stressing me out. I can't expect everything to go away. I can hope, and work to ensure, that my problems get smaller and that I am better able to deal with them.
