When my family went on vacation, I decided to wear short sleeves for the first time in a while. I have horrible self harm scars but was feeling brave. After we went on a hike, my brother grabbed my arm and asked what happened to me. I quickly ran inside and hid from him the rest of the day. What do I tell people when they see my scars?
HELP YOURSELF:
- Thank you for sharing your story with our community. It sounds like you are going through a difficult time and making positive connections is a great start. It also sounds like you already have some things working in your favor, such as getting outside to hike and the ability to do things with family.
- While your initial question was, “What do I tell people when they see my scars” and it sounds like your family did not know that you self injure. Consider this question also, what can I do when I feel like self injuring? We have some information on self injury on our website under the LEARN tab but you can also look in to some of the other educational material on Depression or Anxiety. If you ever need to talk to a real person you can Text: “HELLO” to 741741 or go here to : www.crisistextline.org .
- Do you have a supportive adult in your life that you can discuss the feelings you were having and/or your self injury? The best approach to resilience and recovery is to have a support system. Perhaps sharing your feelings or your desire to seek positive help from professionals will lead to positive ways to cope with what you are experiencing.
CHECK IT OUT:
- Consider also looking around on our website under WHAT’S NEW as well as TOOLS to find some coping strategies or positive outlets that you might not have thought about before.
- Lastly, while it sounds like you do have some great outlets. Consider expanding your horizons. Join a new club or activity, try a new creative medium like painting, photography, or writing, take that hike and find a happy place. Thank you again for being a part of our community.
