Mental Health Awareness Group discussion

aww I’m really sorry you went through/are going through that, I know how hard it is <3

TW: sh, depression

I just have a question about if somethings valid… so every time I hear about sh it’s with scissors or a knife or blade, and I sometimes feel like it means that other sh isn’t actually sh or that bad… like when I first started I was just scratching myself really hard, but then I started using a key (yes, a key, it was all I had…), and I still have scars on my leg that haven’t really faded even after a few months, but I feel like because it wasn’t the “normal” type it doesn’t matter… and ik it does but I just don’t feel like it ig (btw as of right now I’m a week or so clean)

Tysm, that means a lot <3

Tw: burning, Sh?

Does turning the shower up really high count as self harm ?

Barnette ⋆˙⟡ wrote: "Nidhi ;) wrote: "Tw: burning, Sh?

Does turning the shower up really high count as self harm ?"

Depends on what reason. Were you turning it up really high to burn yourself?"

Kind of. I was a bit angry at myself.

Something that keeps me from doing self-harm is going outdoors, knitting, reading books, whittling sticks, painting, and drawing. Setting boundaries like how I use the quote from Robert Jones Jr , "We can disagree and still
love each other unless your
disagreement is rooted in my
oppression and denial of my
humanity and right to exist" Whittling does involve using a knife, so maybe be mindful of this one. Stay away from social media, alcohol, and guns. Only use guns when calm along with knives.

Nidhi ;) wrote: "Tw: burning, Sh?

Does turning the shower up really high count as self harm ?"

it has if you did it purposely just to feel it being too hot, and its been marked as sh on some things ive watched

Tw: Sh (obvi)

'm 2 days clean so far, only because I'm scared honestly..Im terrified of going too far then regretting it yknow? And everytime it gets deeper and deeper and I wish I could just stop. My last ones are weeks old and still not fully healed which freaks me out and my new one was..pretty bad and I hope it heals quick but I know it wont. The immediate regret but peace after is so scary but I also can't tell anyone in real life.

⋆｡°✩ Sol {My Gf's Version} wrote: "Tw: Sh (obvi)

'm 2 days clean so far, only because I'm scared honestly..Im terrified of going too far then regretting it yknow? And everytime it gets deeper and deeper and I wish I could just sto..."

Damn that's literally me (except I'm not 2 days clean). I'm sorry, that sucks and it also sucks that you don't have anyone to talk to.

Barnette ⋆˙⟡ wrote: "⋆｡°✩ Sol {My Gf's Version} wrote: "Tw: Sh (obvi)

'm 2 days clean so far, only because I'm scared honestly..Im terrified of going too far then regretting it yknow? And everytime it gets deeper and..."

you too love <3 (platonic I swear😭)

Sage wrote: "⋆｡°✩ Sol {My Gf's Version} wrote: "Tw: Sh (obvi)

'm 2 days clean so far, only because I'm scared honestly..Im terrified of going too far then regretting it yknow? And everytime it gets deeper and..."

You're doing amazing too, just being here and pulling through

TW: sh & sa??

Awh ml, I'm so sorry. I've had history with sa before and I know how scary it might be. Obviously you have your own story so you might not be that same as mine. I will never walk in your shoes but I hope you're okay. I started sh last night and I couldn't stop. Let's hope it'll get better. 🫂

Honestly I relate to that a lot… none of my scars are white yet, even the ones that are literally months old (idk why but I heal realllly slowly so they’re still like pinkish red after around 4 months), and yeah I never even wear shorts because of them… I’m really sorry you’ve been going through that 💗 you aren’t attention seeking, and no one will judge you for it, and it’s not gross. It just shows that you got through those hard times. I don’t really have any advice but yeah I’m really sorry you went through that <3

Barnette ⋆˙⟡ wrote: "TW for description of SH scars

Does anyone else struggle with shame and stress about their scars regularly?

I'm at a water park and have been wearing my swimsuit all day. It's a tank top and lon..."

i think that wanting for your struggles to be seen is really valid. don't suppress it, you deserve to be seen and to be cared for and about. it is not "attention seeking" just to want this, because this is something you deserve <3 i can't relate to having sh scars but i've definitely felt like everyone is judging me for something before, and trust me that your mind is blowing it way out of proportion. no one actually judges the things you feel insecure about. they really don't. just have confidence, love yourself, and try to live life the best you can, because you're amazing and you can do this <3

TW talk of self harm scars
yall are amazing people who deserve to not hurt anymore i hope yall feel better and i have a question how bad does it need to get to where its worrying..? like how many scars? i dont really know how bad it is for me i only scratch or tug at my hair or bite myself sometimes but when does it get too bad to where i have to get help?

Barnette ⋆˙⟡ (my girlfriend's version) wrote: "TW for description of SH scars

Does anyone else struggle with shame and stress about their scars regularly?

I'm at a water park and have been wearing my swimsuit all day. It's a tank top and lon..."

So I know you must have posted this awhile ago but I go through a lot of similar feelings from my own scars. I have a lot of them that are exposed regularly due to me being on my schools swim team (this does include a lot of mine that are white as well). In reality, I know that I can't tell you what others may think or if they will notice them or not, but I know I have told you before that no one knows exactly why or how they got there. Only you and those you trust to tell know about the stories behind them, and in my mind, noticing scars on others just shows to me of how strong they are. That they went through a rough time no matter what it was and they got out of it, stronger than before.

As a small story, I went to a summer camp and one of the younger counselors had a couple of giant scars on his arm. He told us why they were there- he got attacked by a freaking bear. Was that was I was expecting, do I even know if that's true? Of course not, but everyone never judged him for it, and all of the curious younger kids treated him like a superhero the rest of the camp. Your scars reflect you growing and healing, whether from accidents, self harm, surgery, etc- they are apart of you. Please love them as you should love the rest of yourself <3

Barnette ⋆˙⟡ (my girlfriend's version) wrote: "TW for description of SH scars

Does anyone else struggle with shame and stress about their scars regularly?

I'm at a water park and have been wearing my swimsuit all day. It's a tank top and lon..."

I wasn't in the group when this comment was made, but the comment above drew my attention to it.

When I see people with scars I'm never disgusted or horrified. Nor do I judge the person (that thought doesn't even occur to me.) Actually, it gives me a sense of respect for them, even as a stranger. Not only because I know they have been through so much and still persevered, but also because of the sheer courage it takes to not hide those scars. I admire people who have sh scars, because you have more strength than I would ever have. 💙

(I hope it doesn't make you uncomfortable that I replied, I know haven't really been able to interact much.)

TW- Anxiety, SH

So I have pretty severe OCD and anxiety. I would never think of harming myself, the thought terrifies me. However, (this has only happened a few times) but if I were to get mad at myself I’d sometimes cut myself never to the point of bleeding but often breaking the skin. But that is rare and I am getting therapy which will hopefully help. Sending prayers to all of you struggling with this 🙏😊 and thanks mods for creating this group! 💖

💜 I also struggle with these things. You are not alone, stay safe!

i have at least 12 scars on my body and i hate it

Tw: SH
The amount of scars on my legs from kicking, punching, and scratching myself. Does pulling your own hair count as sh?

Barnette ⋆˙⟡ (my girlfriend's version) wrote: "I should count my scars one of these days 😭"

Tw: sh of course

tried counting mine and stopped at 110, kind of almost crazy to me because I never realized how many there are.

kinda off topic but i read that sentence and immediately thought of stars😭

so many stars that you can’t count them all, but the sky is beautiful with/without the stars.

Barnette ⋆˙⟡ (my girlfriend's version) wrote: "I should count my scars one of these days 😭"

I think I got like 43 or sum like that

Idk how much I have, I usually cut over my original ones

@barnette to cause pain

bc ppl always ask what happened and stuff

ava wrote: "Idk how much I have, I usually cut over my original ones"

same

Barnette ⋆˙⟡ (my girlfriend's version) wrote: "Riley wrote: "bc ppl always ask what happened and stuff"

That's unfair I'm sorry. You don't owe them an answer."

i always js say my dog scratched me

Can I ask if something is self harm… idk if what I do counts

Deb "to the star's and back" "to the moon and back" wrote: "Can I ask if something is self harm… idk if what I do counts"

yes

Normally it’s just picking my cuticles just for the pain and to see them bleed… and to push my nail or sometimes scissors or the poky part of a tape dispenser and push not enough to bleed or anything into my fingertips sometimes for hours on end for the pain

*curls up* I thought so… but everyone kinda acts like it doesn’t matter or doesn’t count

Deb "to the star's and back" "to the moon and back" wrote: "Can I ask if something is self harm… idk if what I do counts"

Deb u asked me this before anything that causes urself harm is self harm

*shrugs* yeah you and Aspen think it is and that it matters but I’ve brought it up to others before and they acted like it doesn’t count or like their is nothing wrong with it and that it’s not a big enough deal for them to care and I don’t do the pushing things into my fingers enough for me to have told people outside of the moment… and I didn’t think the cuticles counted… still haven’t told Jeffery/Ethan about it since I don’t want to have him upset when it does t feel like it’s that important or big of a thing

TW: SH I guess? I'm not really sure- blood, scabs, all that stuff

so I wasn't really sure where to talk about this, but I think I have something called Dermatillomania. I don't have any resources or way to further do research on it, so is there anyone here that has it or know what counts as it?
Ever since I was young I would obsessively scratch at my skin, sometimes on purpose just to create scabs for me to pick. I also obsessively picked at all my mosquito bites and whatnot, even if they made me bleed. I've got scars galore on my body just from me scratching at myself when I was nervous. Recently, though, I had a sort of meltdown and scratched the absolute shit out of my left hand. Now, I can't stop picking the scab that forms. It's like as soon as I can feel the skin start to scab over, I immediately need to pick it so it smooths over yknow? Like I pick it at LEAST every day, and today I accidentally ripped out a good chunk of my skin from it because I was trying to peel the scab off completely. Now it burns like hell. It's also just satisfying to peel off scabs, but it's getting to the point where I have a massive gash on my hand. People keep asking about it, and I'm not sure how to respond. And it's genuinely pissing me off because it hurts so goddamn much all the time but I can't stop picking it. It keeps bleeding everywhere too, which is annoying because I don't have bandaids or anything at home to stop it. I also pick at my lips a lot (to the point where they crack and bleed constantly) and I have eczema so the skin on my hands peel a lot. I just sit there picking and picking at my skin because I can't stop but it's so so aggravating because it hurts so bad and I keep getting new scars and shit. I feel gross and idk what to do about it

TW: SH

I was caught by a friend today in the locker room and they saw....everything. trying hard today, but I just left the office, think everything's okay....? idk hopefully they don't tell my parents

yeah, I don't really know. but ty

Charli!!!!!! wrote: "TW: SH
I told my friend I SH, but she didn't believe me bc i dont really have scars (and the ones I do are at places u can't see). I do SH, and i'm really struggling right now, but she only knows S..."

u should have a heart to heart with your friend ( if you're comfortable with it ) and see if the friendship is actually worth it?

oh but i never want to go back to such a dark place

I would just use a razor and scrape it side ways and just use a lighter on the tips of my fingers sometimes I still do it but I am trying to stop

Oh yah and everyone would take my hand and feel the scar tissues on my hand and be weird about it

Tw: sh
I started cutting myself a few months ago, I freaked out after I cut myself really bad and had to go to the hospital and get stitches, I’ve been trying to stop but it’s like all I can think about is doing it. And I always feel so guilty and dirty after it’s just so addictive.

❤

I sadly don't love myself ;-;

Isn’t it insane how sometimes when I shave in the shower I wince when I nick myself but then I’d cut myself on purpose

tws: self harm, discussion of bleeding, cuts and scars along with arteries

I have a small question since I don't think I could search this up, but does anyone know how long different cuts take to heal depending on how deep they are and where they are on the body? Does how deep you cut tell what color the scar will be? And the effects of possibly cutting into arteries, since I don't know if there's more than just more blood loss?

I don't do sh anymore. I use my Essa to calm me down.

wait......not eating is sh? bc then I have to update stuff

oh...that's nice...