Self Harm Support

28th April 2014 - Self Harm

Again I was browsing through images of Kellin Quinn on Google when I stumbled across this photo. 

Every time I go to concerts if you look around you when everyone has their arms in the air, all you can see is arms full of wristbands and bracelets, the level of support for the bands and brands selling the wristbands is overwhelming but sometimes you can't help but wonder if they're hiding something else beneath them. 

Why should people feel like they have to hide their self harm scars, or in fact scars in general? 

Society puts so much pressure, especially on young people to be and act a certain way so that they can be categorised and put in to boxes but no-one takes the time to understand people in general, let alone the motivational factors behind their actions.

Self harm is a coping mechanism, maybe not the safest or most conventional but in many cases including my own it is used as a method of swapping emotional pain and distress for something physical, something you can control. It gives you back that control of your body as you can't control your mind, it let's you feel empowered.  

But does it really help?

In my opinion it depends on each individual person, thankfully I was never able to self harm "properly" I never seemed to bleed when I cut, my skin just never seemed to break, no matter how many times I went over the same bit. 

I know for some people self harming is the only thing that gets them through what is happening or how they feel, but the fact that people make them feel so wrong for doing it just makes the situation worse. 

I don't think there should necessarily be an emphasis on forcing people to stop but on self harming safely and on not making people feel like they've done something wrong, especially not instantaneously because it as silly as it sounds to those of you who haven't self harmed, it becomes highly addictive due to that moment of release though often short lived when the guilt kicks in.

We all have our own ways of coping and self harm is just another, yes unconventional method but it works for a lot of people, especially in the younger generation. 

I now have tattoos on my wrists which say the Such Strange Arts lyric "Our Time is Now" and "Never Give Up" so when I feel like self harming there is always that reminder there that I'm stronger now than I was back then and that I have found other ways of coping.

Let's stop wasting our time on guilt tripping people when they self harm but on teaching them other methods of coping and giving them support and the tools and strength to quit! 

I hope this photo speaks to you in the same way that it spoke to me when I saw it.

(Please note the views expressed are my own, this doesn't mean they are right or that I expect you to agree with them, but ultimately the point I'm trying to make is that it takes time, and encouragement to stop self harming, and it takes a lot of strength often that young people will need help in finding)