Never Forget Why You Stopped Self-Harming

It’s just as hard for those who have stopped self-harming to move past daily, difficult urges to hurt themselves. Triggers are everywhere. When some may see a pen cap as, well, a pen cap, you may see it as a way to release some stress. For those who use paper clips to hold together papers together, you may see the sharp edge as the escape you need.

These triggers still hit home for those who haven’t self-harmed in years. Even when you have found other ways to overcome negative thoughts, flashbacks of self-harm may still flicker in your mind. Memories are built into the music you listen to, the smells surrounding you and the people you keep by your side. Sometimes, these memories bring you back to an unsafe time.

When you feel as if you are going to give in to an urge to self-harm, remember why you stopped self-harming in the first place.

Always Remind Yourself Why You Stopped Self-Harming

I’ve talked about a place called Camp Good Days and Special Times before. It’s an organization that helps families that have been touched by cancer. Being a cancer survivor, and having my brother pass away from the disease, I have come to realize how truly amazing this organization is.

Recently, a flood left Camp Good Days in shambles. The cabins were filled with water and mud and the stream running beside the grounds took over a large portion of the camp. The pictures brought me to tears and made me remember how this beautiful place was one of the main reasons I began the journey to stop self-harming.

After seeing so many children hit by cancer, I knew that the pain I was causing to myself seemed selfish compared to the pain they were struggling with.

Sometimes, it takes an eye-opening situation to remind you of why you decided to stop self-harming. It’s important to remind yourself of the reasons you decided to choose safe behaviors over negative ones. Maybe it was a discussion you had with a therapist or someone you look up to. Maybe it was the death of a loved one or someone dealing with a disease that made you re-think your decisions.

Remind Yourself of Why You Stopped Self-Harming

Post pictures around your room that remind you of the positive reasons you stopped self-harming. Write down the reasons and put them in places you go to often so when the urges strike, you’ll have a reminder. You need to encourage yourself to continue living the self-harm free life you have been.

Help Camp Good Days with the flood relief so that children can make positive memories they will never forget.

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