Alternatives to Self-Injury
Its been about a year since I last cut, but I still want to sometimes when I get upset (thankfully, its rare these days...of course, my emotions are numb all the time pretty much since I lost sharon. but thats another thread.)
ANYWAY--- I have found something that is like WOW!!! such a good substitute for cutting...
The other day I got one of those Epilady things-- you know those hair-remover deals that "pulls" the hair out of your legs instead of shaving. Holy cow! OUCH! But the thing is-- although it stung on my legs-- here's the deal-- it feels like a razor blade on my arms.
IF You are a cutter who needs to feel that "sting" and that cutting feeling from cutting-- if that is what provides the release for you-- then I'd recommend an Epilady/thingy. It may become your next obsession, but having hairless arms/ legs is a LOT better than having scarred up arms/ legs.
Now, if you are the type of person who gets release/ relief from cutting by seeing the blood instead, the epilady won't work for you. Instead, try dripping red food color or slightly watered down red tempera paint on your arms. It feels like blood, looks like blood, and will wash off. This gives you the feeling and the visual relief.
Of course, if you need BOTH-- do the epilady thing AND the food color.
Anyway, I just thought I'd give you the idea of what I found out helps. Its been a long, long time since I had to do the dripping food color/paint thing since I've finally gotten away from needing the visual part of the cutting, but sometimes I still need to FEEL like I've cut to get those feelings out since I don't have anyone to talk to about all the things we keep bottled up inside. Now I will probably end up being completely hair-free but at least I won't be cutting for real.
Posted by pilgrim | Filed under:
cool idea! and congrats on making it a year!
I've been using tweezers to pluck, like on my legs and such, for several years, and find it's another good alternative to cutting.