Notes From A Former Self-Harmer | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

Notes From A Former Self-Harmer

Please do not reduce me to a stereotype.

94
Notes From A Former Self-Harmer
Peyton Fulford

I heard about self-harming for the first time in middle school. My brother and parents were talking about an Emo girl in my school. My brother explained that Emo stood for emotional and that she would cut her wrists for attention. I never thought that I would start self harming within the next few years.

Nonsuicidal self-injury, often simply called self-injury, is the act of deliberately harming the surface of your own body, such as cutting or burning yourself. It's typically not meant as a suicide attempt. Rather, this type of self-injury is an unhealthy way to cope with emotional pain, intense anger and frustration. This mental disorder has become more and more common among people, one in five females will self-harm during their lifetime, and one in seven males will self harm. Even after recovery, there are things that I have to deal with because of my many years of self-harming. There are some things I think everyone should know.

Yes, I have scars.

They are all over my arm, and all over my hips. I will always have them. Please do not point them out. This was my mental disorder, and I am dealing with it on my terms, and it is personal. When I feel like talking to you about my mental disorder, then I will do so, but until then just leave it alone. Staring at the scars isn't helpful either, I can tell that you're staring. You aren't as subtle as you think.

No, this is not for attention.

Would you tell a drug addict or an alcoholic that they were doing it for attention? No. That would be extremely rude. Honestly, I try to make this something that I hide. I'm not proud of it, and unlike other disorders, this isn't something that I can hide easily. Every time I go swimming or wear a t-shirt, everyone can see the leftovers of my disease. I literally wear them on my sleeve. I don't want people to bring attention to it, and I am already ashamed enough as it is.

I don't need to feel ashamed.

I am really proud of where I am now in my life. I worked incredibly hard to get to this point. This is something that I should be proud of, and I am proud. You should know that how hard it is to make a recovery and that it takes years of really really hard work to get there.

Recovery is hard.

Self-Harming is a lot like being an alcoholic. I have bad days, and good ones. Sometimes all I want to do is self-harm, and it takes a lot of strength not to. This doesn’t mean that I have fallen back into it, and this doesn’t make me weak. This just means that I am human. It also means that I might need help.

Please do not joke about it.

When I see self-harm portrayed on television, I get really upset. It is either a cruel joke or it is glorified. I see things like a group of people making fun of someone for self-harming. The person who is doing it on T.V. is really sad or pathetic. This is a disorder. A real disease, and should be treated as such. The people who self-harm are not pathetic or doing it for attention, they need help.

There is something that you can do.

There are thousands of websites and blogs that are dedicated to glorifying self-harm, anorexia, depression, e.t.c. These websites make these diseases look lovely. Make sure that you block them, take them down, make complaints, or they will continue to perpetuate these mental disorders

You can also help someone by trying to understand them and why they are self-harming. The people who self-harm are just regular people, regular people who are struggling with something real. The people around them should validate their feelings and not run away from them. Loving a self-harmer is better than shunning them.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
girl holding phone
NYCPRGIRLS

Now that it seems “talking” is the new way to date, and will stay that way until another idiotic term is used to describe the people who can’t settle down and just date someone, I feel as if it’s time to go over the unwritten rules of “talking.”

Rule 1. Having feeling without feeling.

Keep Reading...Show less
The Stages of Having FOMO in College
iamthatgirl.com

Are you one of those people that gets super upset when you miss out on anything? Well, you may have FOMO, or fear of missing out. In college it’s not hard to experience FOMO every once in a while. You just love doing everything and anything, so hen you have to miss out on something it's the worst possible thing in your mind. Whether you’re sick, have to work, or have so much work to do you could cry – FOMO will hit you hard in college.

Keep Reading...Show less
Vivien Leigh
Revelist

I've lived a whole 21 years with an RBF (Resting Bitch Face), so naturally, I go through most of these struggles on a daily basis.

And before you ask, yes I'm fine. No, I'm not mad. This is just my face, so take it or leave it! To those of you who have been #blessed with an RBF, you'll probably relate to these more than you'd like to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Iconic Duos: Timeless Legends

From Luke and Leia to Beyonce's twins...

774710
Luke and Leia from Star Wars, a iconic duo
Lucasfilm

“Name a more iconic duo... I'll wait." OK, well, if you insist. In no particular order, here's a list of 100 iconic duos that seem to be timeless.

SEE MORE: This Is The ICONIC Disney Sidekick You Are To Your BFF, According To Your Zodiac Sign

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

A Candid Letter to My Best Friends Ex

Because this is the real form of torture you deserve.

959
middle finger
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

What's up Asshat,

I've composed a list of things that I wish upon you, and they're harsh and cruel. These things are things that I wouldn't wish upon my worst of enemies, not even that Starbuck's barista who always screws up my order, not even him. You fall into a whole other category of hate. You surpass Starbucks barista. Congratulations, I'm actually a pretty nice person, making you worthy of every single bit of torture I wish upon you. What are these things I wish upon you you might ask?

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments