Serious Question

[Wanderingguy]

Hello everyone. I am a first time poster.

My anxiety has been building for months now and my medication does not seem to be working and the past week I have had the overwhelming urge to self harm which happened last night 😞 I have not done this for maybe 6yrs! when I did the act it wasnt the pain that eased my anxiety but the end result i.e. seeing the harm.

My question is this: Is this why people harm themselves? is it the pain or the end result which eases your anxiety? I remember a Psychologist telling me that it was the pain that usually eased the anxiety. Would love to hear your thoughts.

I am safe and under care at the moment but I am also in hotel quarantine which isnt helping.

[Sophie_M]

Hi Wanderingguy,

Welcome to the forum, it is so great to have you join us here. Thank you for letting us know that you are safe and under care at the moment. We recognise that people can self harm for different reasons and it seems that you may be going through something right now, which has led to you to SH. Being isolated in hotel quarantine must be challenging for you at this time.

If you would like some help finding mental health support, we would recommend that you get in contact with the Beyond Blue Support Service. They are available 24/7 by phone on 1300 22 4636 or on Webchat 1pm-12am AEST on our website: www.beyondblue.org.au/getsupport  One of our friendly counsellors will be able to talk through these feelings with you and can offer support, advice and referrals. 

MensLine Australia is a free 24/7 telephone and online counselling service for men with emotional health and relationship concerns. You can contact them on 1300 78 99 78 or https://mensline.org.au/ 

We would strongly urge that in overwhelming moments you get in touch with our friends at Lifeline (13 11 14) or the Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467). 

You are not alone here and we are here to support you. Please keep in touch with this community, we are more than happy to help.

 

[Doolhof]

Hi Wanderingguy,

Being in hotel quarantine may possibly be making life seem more difficult and overwhelming perhaps.

You mentioned you are under care. Would you also consider calling the Beyond Blue support people or Lifeline to help you through what you are dealing with?

I'm thinking people may self harm for different reasons. For me it is a punishment issue, I feel like I don't deserve to be happy, I'm not worthy and have no purpose so I self harm. I dislike pain with a passion so it makes no sense to me at all.

I try to find other ways to stop those thoughts that lead to the self harming. If I am at home I will work out my energy doing something physical in the garden like chopping down dead bushes, breaking up sticks or pulling weeds.

While in quarantine you will be limited with activities you could try. How about doing push ups, star jumps, squats, anything physical that might help bring out those helpful endorphins.

Try Googling alternatives to self harming and see how inventive you can be to help combat your urges.

Take care of yourself! Regards from Dools

[geoff]

Hello Wanderingguys, and can we offer you a warm welcome and many thanks for asking your question.

I'm not a doctor so I'm not qualified to say, however, everybody may have a different reason why they self-harm and if your medication is not working then can we suggest that it needs to be reviewed by your doctor, your circumstances may have changed, so you might need a different type or the dosage increased, only your doctor can determine this.

There could be many reasons why this happens and a few suggestions could be that it numbs or takes away from feeling depressed and/or anxious, but these two can normally be combined together, one day you're worried about something and the next you feel depressed, a psychologist can talk about this with you.

People may self-harm when they are depressed and then want to shut down emotionally or alternatively it may happen simply because they aren't feeling well, so there are certain times when this may happen, but if you can have a support person/s/group then this may be avoided.

When your Psychologist has told you that it was the pain that usually eased the anxiety, could be the surprise or the shock that takes your mind off the anxiety you're suffering from.

Take care.

Geoff.

[Sad_Mushroom]

Hiya,,,,I am a 'retired' self-harmer and I think it is a bit of both.

I got relief from the act but then support from looking back on the acts....ummmm.....

If I got anxious a day after SH....I would check the wounds, to make sure I was OK. (doesn't make any sense to me now)

1. Sometimes I SH when I was happy......it becomes a habit....Kellie

[geoff]

Hello Sad_Mushroom, this is certainly possible, the act of cutting gives a person a sense of control over his or her emotional pain and a way to cope with any intense negative thoughts, while others handle it another way, whatever means that they feel they need to.

If you have been unable to do it for 6 years, Wanderingguy, that's terrific, but all it may take is for a trigger, some spark that may encourage you to continue, this may have been hidden away, either by you pushing it away or perhaps a specific reason, unfortunately.

Take care.

Geoff.