Self-harm
If you are badly hurt or in danger, call an ambulance (912) now or go to the emergency room!
You are not alone! You are not weird or “just looking for attention”.
Try now
- Pause & breath: tell yourself: “this feeling will pass.” Try breathing 4s in, hold for 4s sec and breathe out for 8s. Repeat 10X.
- Ground yourself 5-4-3-2-1: Name 5 things you see, 4 you touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste. Say it out loud.
- Cold reset: hold an ice cube or run cold water over your wrist (or other place you want to self-harm) for a safe body “shock” that calms your body
How do you recognize it
People self-harm for many reasons, for example to:
- Release pain, anger or stress
- Feel something when you feel numb
- Punish yourself for guilt or shame
- Show you’re hurting inside when words don’t come
- Whatever the reason, it doesn’t make you “bad”. It means you’re hurting.
Remember
- You’re not broken. Self-harm is a sign of pain, not who you are
- You deserve kindness and support, especially from yourself
- Healing is possible. With new skills and help, urges get weaker and life gets lighter.
When to go to the doctor?
If you are badly hurt or in danger, call an ambulance (912) now or go to the emergency room!
If any of these have been going on for about two weeks, go to the doctor:
- You often feel the urge to self-harm
- It’s happening more often and feels harder to stop
- You are using alcohol or drugs to numb the urge
- Your mood is low most days and school, work, friends etc. suffer
- You hide injuries and avoiding people
- You feel stuck in your triggers
Where can I find help?
Go to Resources.
Call 912 now
if you’re in immediate danger or badly hurt
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Tips
In the moment
- Pause & breath: tell yourself: “this feeling will pass.” Try breathing 4s in, hold for 4s sec and breathe out for 8s. Repeat 10X.
- Cold reset: hold an ice cube or run cold water over your wrist (or other place you want to self-harm) for a safe body “shock” that calms your body
- Hold ice cube: if you want to feel pain, but not really hurt yourself, hold an ice cube for a longer time.
- Draw instead: use a red pen to draw lines where you feel like hurting yourself
- Snap a band: lighty snap an elastic band on your wrist to interrupt the urge
- Ground yourself 5-4-3-2-1: Name 5 things you see, 4 you touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste.
- Delay: tell yourself you will wait 10 minutes. Urges peak and then fade.
- Music & move: put on calming music, stretch, walk, shake your body. Movement helps release tension.
Long-term
- Talk to someone: a friend, teacher, school counsellor, parent or helpline
- Find your triggers: notice when/where the urge hits (time, place, feeling)? What feelings come first?
- Find other outlets: write, draw, sing, exercise, breathe, meditate. Keep what works
- Get real help: make steps to get into therapy or youth support
