Finding a Role Model Can Lessen Self-Harm

It’s important to have people you look up to in your life. Some people look up to certain family members or friends. Maybe you looked up to a positive celebrity such as Maya Angelou, who sadly left us recently. Some people may find comfort in teachers or therapists who have positively affected them.

By having a role model, you have someone who can guide you towards becoming a role model yourself. Maybe this person was a self-harmer in their past and they overcame the uneasy battle. It’s impossible for them not to have stories that can help you overcome your own struggles with the addiction to self-injury.

When people are struggling with self-harm, depression and anger may be linked. Sometimes, these emotions can make you feel that it isn’t worth trying to find that helpful person. You may feel hopeless and that no one could possibly lift you out of the hole you’ve fallen into.

The truth is, there is a hero out there for everyone and when you find him or her you will know it.

Role Models May Inspire Safe Behaviors

Recently I went to my mother’s retirement dinner where I recognized a lot of teachers from my past. Some of the teachers may not have seemed too important back when I was in their classes, but during this dinner, I realized how lucky I had been.

There was a teacher who taught my eighth grade science class who had always been very energetic and kind. When I saw her at the dinner, over ten years later, she still managed to remember me. Just then, I realized how lucky I had been to have someone who went out of their way to help me when I had no clue what was going on in class.

In high school, during my years struggling with cutting, I needed someone to look up to. Luckily, I found a few English teachers who really believed in my writing and inspired me to work harder. I see those teachers as the role models I needed to really focus on my writing instead of marking my skin. At the time, I may not have really appreciated their effort. But now, looking back, I realize how they helped me find healthy outlets during my time of hardship.

Maybe it wasn’t a teacher who helped you, but there are people out there who make you smile or really think about the decisions you are making. You may not realize it when you’re picking up that sharp object to harm yourself with. However, when you are working on your road to recovery, you will start to really find the people who made a difference in your life and learn from them.

Surrounding yourself with positive people is crucial when overcoming the desire to self-injure. Those people may just be what you need to really push past those urges and towards a healthy life.

You can also find Jennifer Aline Graham on Google+, Facebook, Twitter and her website is here. Find out more about Noon through Amazon.com.