Initial steps you can take

Whilst we highly recommend reaching out to a professional, there are some steps that you can take to help yourself.

Learn to recognise your triggers

‘Triggers’ are things that result in the urge to hurt yourself. It can be anything from thoughts, feelings, people, places, situations and anniversaries.

Becoming aware of your triggers and understanding what happens in the moments before you self-harm can help you to identify when you are going to self-harm. You can try writing this information down, or keep a diary of what happened in the moments before. Keeping a diary can help you to identify exactly what triggers you to self-harm. Enabling you to eventually recognise the urge to self-harm - even if you are unable to resist it at first.

Becoming aware of the urge to self-harm

The urge to self-harm will come in many different forms for different people. But they can include sensations such as:

●    Racing heart

●    Strong emotions (sadness, anger, guilt)

●    Loss of sensation or disconnection

●    Repetitive thoughts about harming yourself or how you might harm yourself

●    Trying to avoid self-harming by engaging in other things

Writing down these feelings and sensations alongside what was happening around you can help you identify how you feel as the urge to self-harm begins.

Learn distraction techniques

Having distraction techniques in place can help you to resist the urge to self-harm. Giving yourself the opportunity to overcome the intensity of the urges, allows you to get some breathing space. It is important to remember that you can still use these techniques even if you have already begun to harm yourself.

Understanding your patterns of self-harm can help you feel confident to recognise your triggers and urges. Keeping a diary is a good way to help you, but can be an intense experience. It is a good idea to ask for support with this from your counsellor or someone you trust. If you feel confident enough to do this on your own, make sure you do something relaxing or enjoyable after.

Whilst we don’t encourage self-harm, we do recognise that for some people self-harm is a way of coping with emotional distress and there are steps that you can take to keep yourself safe.

You can help to limit the damage by:

●    Not using drugs or alcohol before self-harming

●    Keep your skin and any implements clean, you can use boiling water or sterilising fluid to reduce the risk infection

●    Test any sharp implements on something first, orange peel can work. Sharp objects become blunter over time and may not work in the same way

●    Try to inform yourself about the area of your body where you self-harm - What is under the skin? What are the effects of restricting food?

●    Try to relax before self-harming, doing so when wound-up can result in serious harm

When you do self-harm:

●    Have a first aid kit close by, including antiseptic wipes and creams, plasters and dressings, to help look after your injuries

●    Clean the area gently before applying a clean plaster or dressing

●    Cool burns under cold running water for at least 10 minutes

●    Be kind to yourself

There may be times when you need assistance from medical staff. If you require urgent medical assistance, please call 999. You might need medical assistance if:

●    Bleeding spurts or won’t stop

●    Cuts are very deep or wide

●    Burns are bigger than a 50p

●    Any signs of infection, including the area being red, hot, swollen or oozing. 

●    Drug overdose

●    Any ingestion of poisons