I want to congratulate you and say well done you for looking up how to self-harm safely, because you and I both know how easy it is, not think clearly when you are not coping well.
I am not able to change your thoughts or challenge your need to self-harm, I understand why you do it and I believe in you, when the time is right you will speak out and ask for support.
Until that time I hope the following tips on how to self-harm safely will at least keep you safe.
- Ensure that anything you are using to cut yourself with is new and clean
- Clean your cutting instrument in antiseptic or with boiling water to sterilise it
- To stem bleeding apply pressure to the open wound and hold up your arm
- Avoid the wrist and elbow area where veins and arteries are well known
- Research and learn where the major veins are arteries are
- Shallow cuts are more painful than deeper ones, so there is no need to cut deep
- Ensure you clean and protect the cuts afterwards
- Seek medical assistance if you become worried at all
Instead of cutting this time, can you do something else? Could you grab a pen and paper and write down why you need to self-harm?
What has triggered your thoughts to self-harm?
How does it make you feel before doing it?
How does self-harming help you?
How do you feel afterwards?
Writing down your thoughts and feelings is a great first step to understanding why you do this.
We have a wide range of self-harming stories right here on the blog, written by everyday people just like you.
You are not alone. You are loved and you are understood. I believe in you that you are strong enough to speak out and ask for support. Living with self-harm alone can become very isolating.
There are a wide range of support networks out there that can help you. Please at least think about breaking this cycle.
Mind – Understanding Self-Harming
Staying Safe - Knowing Your Body
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About The Real Supermum
I love your blog and think you are amazing so I wasn’t sure whether to comment on this post, but it really worries me, so I thought I would. Surely people should be encouraged to not to self-harm and to get help. not how to self-harm safely.
As a parent I find this post somewhat frightening.
I have 17 self harming mums on my Facebook group – I would endlessly to support them. I personally have self harmed for many years. Its an illness, an addiction, a coping measure, its something we do to help us cope. I believe by highlighting safety measures ensures the mothers are at least thinking of keeping safe x
I totally agree. It’s better to advise how to do it safely than not at all. No amount of someone saying ‘ please don’t self harm, get some help’ etc….will stop someone from self harming., It is an illness, an addiction and that person needs to seek help off their own bat, only they can decide to get help.
to me all this post is doing is showing that someone cares and understands. there is no judging or trying to rationalise something that is beyond someones control. I have self harmed and although I havent for a while the urge is always there. Although it says its a post about self harming safely its actually showing that you arent alone and someone understands what you are going through x
The whole self harming illness horrifies me, but in saying that it is an illness and there is a fear that you’ll cut yourself in a dangerous place and do even more damage so all in all as horrific as it is, measures need to be put in place for a person’s safety.
I say fair play to you Emma. Keep up the good work!
This is a good post , its not telling ppl to go and do it , its offering advise on how to be safe , same as drinking sites that advise safe drinking , ppl do get help but the same with any addiction the urge is always there , xx
I think this is a good post as emmas helping people who want to self harm to do it safley rather than sayin go ahead n do it shes clearly says there are support networks out there well done emma ur an inspiration xx
Emma, I think it’s a good thing you posted this blog. I self-harmed for many years and still feel urges to do it now. Whether you post about it or not, whether it’s taboo or not, whether the self-harmer speaks about it or not, they are going to do it. Hopefully, they may read this first before they seriously injure themselves. That has to be better than not talking about it at all?
This is why we all enjoy your blog so much, because you don’t just talk about easy things. You talk about things that are hard to hear but sometimes need to be said too x
I don’t think you’re saying go on, just cut yourself.
I think it’s a good idea to have something like this online.
I SH & I think younger people who SH might not think of these things before doing it x
There’s no point telling someone not to do it. They will carry on doing it anyways. Least this post shows that someone cares enough to make sure they are doing it safely. X
I agree with what some of the mums above have said. There is no good telling people *not* to do it, they will just carry on, but at least having someone telling you to do it safely is one step forward. Some people see this as a coping method, and then there’s the people that don’t understand and that say people do it just for attention. If this will help people then carry on Emma! x
I used to do it quite a bit as a teen…depending on what you used theres a few good tips i got from my support worker! – razor blades…put them in a tub of water and freeze…by the time you get them out to cut yourself – you won’t actually feed the need to! Always use something thats sterile – getting an infection is the last thing you want. xx
If you tell someone not to do it they are going to do it and by helping them do it safely can help alot of people x
It’s yet another taboo topic – fab ! It’s about time society knew about these illnesses and different ways to cope with them. Many people wont understand it, find the whole ‘how to self harm safely’ concept confusing, therefore you will always get people jumping on the band wagon saying ‘nooooo that’s just wrong’. Self harming is a form of addiction amongst other things and like many addictions, no one wants to encourage people to carry on with whatever their vice may be i.e drugs, alcohol. It’s basically saying that help is right here if u want it but until you feel strong enough then please do it safely, here’s how. How is that wrong ?
Well done Emma xxx
Yet again hun fab fab fab xx
I think this is great, alot of people do not realise the dangers of self harming, as at that moment in time – releasing is the only thing they are concentrating on. But to have on black and white how to do it safely will surely help people keep them self safe while they are doing what they need to do. This isnt say ‘self harm’ this is saying ‘we understand you need to do this, this is how to keep your self safe’
Great to highlight such a taboo subject x
i cannot relate to this post as i have never self harmed. however we cant pretend it doesnt happen. i think this post is fantastic to people to help them realise they are not alone, people do care its just away of dealing with things. keeping things safe thats the way to go not ignoring it or making people feel awful fpr doing it x
I agree with you. But instead of explaining how they can keep hurting themselves and get away with it, maybe someone should guide them and help them find the reason WHY they feel the need to hurt themselves? Don’t you think?
Really great post Emma! A lot of people self harm. few do it with any regarx for their safety. i once used a piece of broken glass i found on the side of the road. i could of caught anything. but i didnt think about that. i was lucky. i only hope this reachss someone vunerable and really does help them to be safe and hopefully through reading other blog posts, the strength to stop x
I don’t know what the point of this post is, but if it is to shock: good job!
Otherwise, it’s just plain crazy to explain to people how to harm yourself. What’s next? How to commit suicide and make sure you go to heaven?
Emma, I have always enjoyed reading your blog and enjoyed writing for you, but I strongly suggest you remove this post. It’s the socially responsible thing to do.
I spoke to soon. I skipped over this part: “Please note* There is no way to completely self-harm safely. Please think clearly and ask yourself why you need to cut this time? Is there another way we can avoid this? You can even contact me personally and I can talk to you or provide a professional who can help you.”
If you like you can mod out my entire comment.
great post emma self harmers need to know how to be safer than i was
I agree with the other mums who have said this is a fab post
iused to self harm so this post is helpimng ppl who still do notht they rnt been judged but helped and looked after supporting themnot their illness, way to go emma, this way ppl will feelthey can tlk tou openly and seek thehekp they need either through u or support groups,wish i knew u wen i was going through this xxx
Hmmmmm, i’ve seen the comments made to you about this blog about how bad it is to write it and I was expecting some kinda gory blog post! However, this is well written and not gory at all! In fact I think it’s really good advice. It’s written really positively and the positive stuff in here far outweighs the bits on doing it safely, which people are finding the problem with, probably because they don’t understand, which i think is understandable, as it is a very difficult subject to get your head around. However, saying that, the more people who do understand the better as it is such a common issue that people are dealing with, often alone, due to the stigma attached to it. I think for me, in my experience as a psychotherapist, what helped me to understand that it is necessary for people to learn how to do it safely is to acknowledge that there is no way to stop a self harmer from self harming, although it hurts their body it provides great emotional relief and in severe cases it is actually a means some people staying alive. One person told me quite strongly, without self harm she’d not be here it was the only thing that allowed her to feel something different to what she was feeling, due to years of abuse etc. And yes while we see it as self abuse, it is in fact a survival method for a lot of people, it keeps them alive!
Well done Emma, i think it is a great post
I dont want peolpe to know who iam cuz nobody know that I’m a selfharmer i am the kind of self harmer that cut pretty deep cuts n i bite myself n things like that … to u guys who read this I’m not do this for attention i don’t tell mah family friends or someone that i do it but it make me believe that i can handel this problem after every day on school i cut my selves my teacher hates me he call me ugly n things like that i have hard times i got raped many times i just were walking to a friend or something i got beated by some older teenagers n when people always think i lie …. n many other things….. i tried to do drugs but i likes to cut better but I’m also tried getting drunk when i have it tereble with myself …… it was all before …. after i tried the tips with writing down the things everything goes actually better ….. it been along while since ive been doing selfharming but i goes around with pieces of it still