alright. ive been struggling with self injury for about three years. my friends mostly know about my problem, as most of them found out in a very public way (during lunch somebody pointed it out and basically said to everybody “look she S.I. herself!”) which was really shameful and embarrassing for me. before school let out, i hurt myself pretty badly. nothing i couldn’t take care of on my own, but it left some nasty scars and was the worst i had ever S.I.. it really scared me, and i decided once and for all it had to end. its been a month and a half since i decided that, and im not sure what to do next. im fairly confident that i won’t be dealing with it anymore, but i still don’t know if i should seek other help. it really scares me to admit that i would need help, and i would have to tell my parents. but basically, even though i think i am over this, and through with it once and for all, should i still consider professional help?
Would telling your parents help you? Only you can decide this…
In terms of being over self-injury, every one works through it differently. Will you never hurt yourself again, that is totally up to you.
Do you think you have worked through the problems/ issues/ circumstances that caused you to hurt yourself originally? If you haven’t, then maybe getting some help would help you continue not to hurt yourself. The underlying problems don’t go away on their own, as we can cope differently if and when we choose.
Maybe there is a trusted adult in your life you could confide in and talk to about stuff. A parent of a friend, a youth pastor, a teacher, a mentor, another family member, or even your folks. Sometimes just knowing that people are there to support you, encourage you, and help you can be enough to beat the evils of self-injury — but that doesn’t always work for everyone and professionals can really be of assistance, so only you can decide what you need to do in order to stop coping this way.
Sorry to hear your friends were so immature. What they did showed their own insecurities with the fact that you hurt yourself – it proved publically that they can’t deal with it, so they are trying to make a big deal out of it. If someone can tease you about something, it is probably something they can relate to on a much deeper level and are either too ashamed to talk about and they are just too over themselves to come out to say they don’t understand. It can be hard to be friends with someone who hurts themselves, I know this because I have friends who do it too.