Hurting yourself can be prevented with these 7 fun ways

For some people, intentionally injuring themselves - by slashing their arms with a razor or other sharp object, deliberately not eating, scratching their skin, or even banging their heads - is a way for them to take their mind off things that are causing them severe stress or trauma.. For others, hurting themselves is a way for them to punish themselves for the mistakes they feel they have made.

Although some people are aware that this action is dangerous and wrong, there are still many who do not realize that self-harm is not the best way to manage emotions or trauma. Instead, they think that self-harm is the only way to go.

However, the urge to hurt yourself can be prevented. The next time you feel the urge to reach for the razor, immediately do one of the following to distract yourself.

Various ways to prevent the urge to hurt yourself

There is really no sure way to prevent self-injurious behavior. However, here are some things you can do to divert those harmful desires, before they actually trap you.

1. Clean your environment from objects that can injure

Get rid of objects that could cause you to hurt, and avoid places where you are likely to hurt yourself if you feel the urge. For example, you used to cut in the bathroom. Immediately avoid going near the bathroom when the desire to injure yourself begins to surface.

Instead, you can instead focus on just one thing - for example looking at a painting or staring at a rock, counting down 100 to 1, shredding the paper into small pieces, squeezing bubble wrap , practice breathing techniques, meditate, or rearrange your book collection or music CDs to alphabetize.

2. Chat with friends

As much as possible, don't leave yourself alone. Stay with other people, whether it's parents, siblings or siblings, to close friends. Distract yourself by chatting (don't be outspoken about your desire for self-harm; talk about whatever you want).

If you can't talk to someone, try waiting 15 minutes. If you made it through 15 minutes without hurting yourself, give yourself credit for doing it. Then try to wait another 15 minutes, and keep doing it. It may not seem easy at first, but the urges will gradually pass.

3. Prepare an "emergency box"

Get a box or bag and fill it with items you can use to distract yourself when you have the urge to hurt yourself. The box should include things that require concentration, that you enjoy and that are safe (cannot be used to injure.

Contents can include coloring books, knitting, bracelet-making kits, puzzles, Lego or rubiks blocks, crossword books, favorite story books, paper and crayons, stress balls, video games, colorful nail polish, rubber balloons to blow, to your favorite toys - anything you feel comfortable with.

4. Write down your complaints

Journaling can be a very helpful way of working out how you feel and what makes you feel that way. Also write down the reasons for “Why I love myself” or the happiness / luck that you have experienced so far to save and reread when you feel you are down .

If you are embarrassed to start spilling your heart out, you can start by scribbling random pictures on a piece of paper. If you are more able to pour out your heart by writing song lyrics or poetry verses, that's fine too. What's important is that you can become more aware of your emotions, in order to help you become more aware of what causes you to want to hurt yourself.

5. Exercise

Exercise helps release physical tension and can be a great way to deal with stress. Go for a run or walk in the park, jump in place, punch a bag or pillow, or ask a friend to do something active with you.

6. Crying

Yes, it's okay to cry when you feel overwhelmed by everything that's going on in life.

Crying when you are stressed is one of the best ways to channel your stress and give you a feeling of relief. When you cry because of stress, your body is actually releasing stress hormones or toxins from the body through the shedding of tears. That's why crying can improve your mood.

Research from the University of South Florida in 2008 proved that crying works better to calm you down and improve your mood than any antidepressant drug.

7. Various other things

Hurting yourself is how you deal with difficult emotions and situations. So if you're going to quit, you have to have an alternative way of dealing with the problem so that you can act in a different way when you start feeling like cutting or injuring yourself.

You can massage the neck, hands, and feet; listening to soothing music, ice packs on the folds of the elbows; take a warm bath or flush yourself with cold water; chew something that has a very strong taste, such as cayenne pepper, peppermint, or orange peel; shout as loudly and as loudly as possible into the pillow; go karaoke; pet a cat or dog; to scribbling the body with colorful (erasable, yes!) markers as a safer alternative to cutting yourself.