Self-injuring – stopping -is it worth it

Someone asked if it was worth stopping cutting. YES! It is a great release when you gain victory over cutting.

I haven’t cut since Dec 2004. I have had the urge a few times, but I have managed to not cut. It wasn’t easy in the beginning.

When I first read “Scarred Soul” I really wanted to stop cutting. I followed the suggestions in the book. I got rid of the glass I had been saving for “just in case”. That was very hard.

Then when I broke something else on accident, it was hard not to save a piece to have in case I needed it. But then I decided NO, I was not going to cut. I was going to break the cycle. I threw it away.

Each time it got easier. Now I don’t even think of it when something breaks. I never used anything else other than glass to cut. I was afraid to use razor blades. I never burned myself. I only used glass.

When you cut yourself, you release endorphines into your bloodstream. That is what you get hooked on. You can get the same endorphins by running or dancing fast or aerobics or anything like that. Exercise releases endorphins into the body in a much healthier way. It also releases stress.

And that is what cutting does. Releases the emotional pain you are feeling inside. I know that pain. I can remember it well.

Some ways to release the pain without hurting yourself through cutting can be by popping a rubberband on your wrist. Or rubbing an ice cube on your bare leg. Both will hurt – without causing permanent harm.

Journaling is another way to release pain. I have journaled for over 30 years. It has helped save my sanity. Just start writing everything you are feeling down on paper. Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Don’t let anyone else read it. Just write. Write until the pain is gone. Don’t censor what you are going to say. It will help. Journaling has helped many people.

I have a class I am putting online soon teaching people how to journal. I hope to have it up by the end of July.

But to answer your question about is it worth stopping cutting. Again. Yes. It brings a freedom of release to the spirit. A happiness. It is part of the journey of recovery. It all happens one day at a time.