I’ve always had to battle depression. I started self-harming when I was 10. I stopped for a while then it got bad again, and now I’ve been clean for a few months. But, it’s starting to hit me hard. I don’t know what it is. I suddenly feel the urge to do it…. but I don’t know why or what’s wrong. I’ve been feeling really low the past few days. I don’t know how to handle it.
CONSIDER THIS:
- Depression can make you feel extremely unhappy and just plain negative. You are brave for enduring your personal conflicts and seeking help even though you feel so down about life.
- Your depression and self-harm are serious issues that you should definitely seek immediate help for. You can head to the Teen Central website then click the Help tab and call one of the hotlines to talk to someone. If you really want help you need to be brave enough to admit you have a problem and try to make it right. You may want to see a trusted psychologist or therapist.
- Knowledge is power. You’ll likely benefit from learning more about your issue because only you can truly understand what’s wrong with you. On the Teen Central website, you can click the Learn tab then Self Injury and Depression to read more about these life-threatening issues. Click the Learn tab then Spirituality to read about this subject if you’d like. Some spiritual activities which may help you are prayer, meditation or yoga. You can even attend a church service if you’d like to.
- Never give up on yourself. Your life is important. Learn to love yourself again by treating your body with respect. Repeat positive affirmations to yourself. Express your feelings in a journal each day. You can also express your feelings in a positive way by doing creative activities like drawing, painting, listening to music you love or learning to play a musical instrument.
- Commit to being positive. You can try volunteering by yourself or with a positive friend. Some organizations to consider are Reading is Fundamental, American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity among many others. By helping others who are less fortunate than yourself you’ll likely gain meaning, purpose and maybe forget about your own problems for a while.
- Find something else to focus on and become more responsible at the same time. You could get a part-time job, a lovable pet or just do chores around the house.
HELP YOURSELF:
- Can you think of all of the ways your life is important to yourself and others? (Write these down if you’d like.)
- In what ways could your future be affected if you stay in this negative mindset you’re in now?
- In what ways could your future be affected if you change your life by committing to be positive?
