Tag: self-harm

What is Self-harm?

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Self-harm, or self-injury, is when someone hurts themselves on purpose as a way to express negative/stressful emotions, or as a distraction from those feelings. Of course there are many different reasons why people struggle with this, but self-harm is usually a sign of emotions that have been suppressed over time (ignored or not dealt with). For those who self-harm, sometimes it might feel like there’s no way to deal with that pain except to hurt yourself. If you’ve ever felt that way, or know someone who has, then here’s a little more info about what you might be going through.

 

Different types of self-harm

  • Cutting your skin with a sharp object
  • Burning yourself
  • Hitting your body with an object or with your fists
  • Picking at skin
  • Pulling at your hair
  • Excessive or dangerous use of mind-altering substances such as alcohol
  • Eating disorders
  • Emotional abuse – putting yourself down
  • Anorexia; starving yourself
  • Overeating/binge eating

 

What are the triggers?

Some of the things that can trigger an urge to self-harm are a low self-esteem, stress from school or home life, depression and anxiety and other mental health related issues. Even though the intention of self-harm isn’t to commit suicide, self-harm can lead to death if you accidentally cut a vein or cut yourself too deep and end up losing a lot of blood.

 

Signs and symptoms

  • Wounds or scars from cuts, bruises or burns, mostly on the wrists, arms, thighs, or chest – usually explained as “accidents”.
  • Blood stainson clothing, towels, or bedding; blood-soaked tissues.
  • Collecting sharp objectslike razors, knives or needles.
  • Covering up with long sleeves, even in hot weather.
  • Needing to be alone for long periods of time, especially in the bedroom or bathroom.
  • Isolation
  • Drastic change in behavior or emotional wellbeing

 

Getting help

The first step to helping yourself is to learn how to acknowledge your feelings by opening up to someone you trust, Choma. Asking someone else for help is not something to be ashamed of, it only makes you stronger.

 

You can also read my 5 steps to taking back your mental health, or contact the numbers below if you or someone you know is struggling with self-harm

 

The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG)

24hr Helpline: 0800 12 13 14

 

Lifeline

24 Hour Counselling Number: 011 422 4242 or 0861 322 322

 

If you need advice or help, remember that you can contact me here on Ask Choma, send me a Facebook Message, a Twitter DM, or a WhatsApp Message (071 172 3657)

6 Strange things you could be addicted to

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When you think about addiction, what comes to mind? You might immediately think about drugs, alcohol or other harmful substances, right choma? Substance abuse is not the only form of addiction. You can actually become addicted to many different things and not even realise it.

An addiction is a condition where you constantly take something (like drugs, alcohol etc.) or do something (gambling, shopping etc.) to the point that it interferes with your everyday life, like your schoolwork, relationships or health. When you’re addicted to something, you find it very hard to go for a long time without doing or using that particular thing. 

You might know about the most popular forms of addiction but did you know about these?

Internet Addiction

When you’re addicted to the internet you find it very hard to go a short while without being online. You build most of your relationships online, spend most of your time speaking to people you’ve ‘met’ through social media or chat rooms and actually think that talking to people and doing things online is much better than real life.  

Selfies

While there is still a debate about whether this is a real addiction or not, some researchers do believe that you can become addicted to selfies. Being addicted to selfies means that you can’t go a day without taking selfies, you’re obsessed with taking the perfect picture of yourself and you’re also obsessed with people’s reactions to your pictures.

Texting

Does your heart skip a beat when your phone beeps? Do you get anxious when someone doesn’t reply to your text on time? Do you make sure your phone is in your hand all the time so that you can respond to every text instantly? If you’ve answered yes to all these questions choma then you’re probably addicted to texting.

Video Games

People who are addicted to gaming (like those who are addicted to the internet) find it hard to disconnect from that (gaming) world and spending hours playing games. When you’re addicted to gaming you can go for hours on end, forgetting to eat or wash and not getting much sleep.

Self-harm

Harming yourself can become addictive. You might start doing it as a way to stay in control, like digging your fingernails in your skin when you’re angry or as a way to control any of your emotions. Eventually this can become addictive because you might reach a point where you can’t stop.  

Prescription drugs

Do you find yourself taking pain killers even when you don’t have any pain? You can become addicted to the medication that you get from the doctor, especially medication like painkillers. Taking too many can become addictive to a point where you depend on these drugs.

Any form of addiction can be harmful chomas. Some addictions can harm you physically, negatively affecting your health, while others might harm you psychologically and emotionally, affecting your everyday life and the relationships you have with people. If you or someone you know has an addiction that’s making life difficult, don’t take it lightly chomas. Get help so that you can recover and get back to living a healthy life.

Here are numbers that you can call today:

The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG)

24hr Helpline: 0800 12 13 14

Lifeline

24 Hour Counselling Number: 011 422 4242 or 0861 322 322

Do you have anything to add choma? Share in the comment section below. If you have a question about addictions, you can Ask Choma.