That's so great that you've been free for 6 years
What are the kinds of alternative coping mechanisms that you have found to work?
Thank you, It has not been easy, there has been times when I have come very close to 'cutting' again, but these are the methods that I have found work for me....
1 Distraction- Whenever I feel I may need to cut I do something to keep my mind and my hands busy, such as reading, some crafts [not all are good because of sharp things used within them], puzzles anything really that stops me from thinking about what I want to do.
2 Avoidence- This is healthy avoidence rather than bad avoidence, by that I mean I acknowledge and accept what is wrong but choose other options [good avoidence] instead of ignoring it completely [bad avoidence]. To do this I avoid anything which 'triggers' my cravings for self-harm or which is something I can use when I feel I can't ignore those cravings, eg NO COOKING, this is a major one because of the knifes and other potential harming implaments that are within easy access [if I can't avoid it completely I get help with certain jobs], I also avoid doing things which involve anything which makes me think more about what I want to do eg, If you crave seeing blood etc don't sit down and watch a hospital drama [common sense really] and if I feel really bad I go out, I meet friends, I go for a walk, I go shopping, anywhere, where I can be around other people, so I have no time when I'm alone and can act on my feelings. This is hard, I do feel edgy and restless but the feelings do lessen to a more controlable feeling and sometimes go altogether.
3 I also have no 'tools' anywhere in the house, I make it as hard a possible for myself to do anything eg I used to use razor blades so I dumped them all and I avoid going near them in the shops when I feel like I need to use them.
I must stress that these work for me and won't work for everyone, you need to find a way that helps you, although if any of these work for you use them as much and as often as you want.
I have like I said gone 6 years with out doing anything, and I have had some hard times, but I have found [with my own experiences] that the longer you can go without doing anything, the futher the distance between each set back, I also have to be on guard because if you start thinking that everything is fine and your safe, something will happen and you will be totally unprepared, if you remain aware of how you feel, you can manage.
It also helps if you have got someone to talk to about what your feeling, I never had this, but it would have been a wonderful help at times.
And of course it matters that I always seek professional advice when I need to, I always see my dr if I ever feel I need extra help.
