This newsletter is a bit different from most, I think. We’re dealing with some heavy issues on this one GBD peeps! Self-injury is a pretty big topic that creates a lot of talk and controversy as to the causes and effects of doing things like: cutting wrists and arms, hitting with objects, lacerations, punching, etc.
Initially, I was supposed to interview a website called “To Write Love on her Arms”, which is dedicated to this very issue along with other deep emotional problems such as: depression, addiction and suicide.  “To Write Love on Her Arms” (twloha.org) is not only a website but also a non-profit  movement dedicated to helping those in emotional distress and inspiring hope to all those who know of this wonderful and encouraging effort.  TWLOHA invests directly into the treatment and recovery of individuals who seek help and improvement from the troubles mentioned before as well as others. I’ve personally known about this movement since my Sophomore year in High School after a friend told me about it and have seen firsthand the uplifting effect it can have on people. For further information visit the TWLOHA website as www.twloha.org.
Since I was unable to interview the website, I decided to personally ask a friend who had self-injured herself for years. Through this talk, I was able to delve into the mind of someone else for a bit and find how the world was seen through their eyes, finding some interesting facts along the way. As I tell you this, I see 12 huge scars on her right arm and 6 on her left, all permanently embedded on her unblemished flesh for the world to see but misunderstand on a variety of levels.  It’s amazing what one can find out if only we’d sit down and actually communicate with one another for just a moment. So here it is everyone, a small chat with an honest and caring person (who wished to remain anonymous) about an action most people misconstrue and her experience on it:

Q: “At what age did you begin to injure yourself?”
A: “I started cutting at around 13 or 14 years old, around beginning of junior high.”

Q:  “What was the reason you began to hurt your body? Was there a specific “breaking point” moment?”
A: “I began to do it out of fun. I thought it would be cool to start making marks on my arms, around me there was like this fad of cutting. I don’t know why, it was kind of entertaining to do it.  I guess there wasn’t really a breaking point, I just felt antsy and thought it would be a good reliever of sorts.”

Q: “How did it feel when you would hurt yourself?”
A: “It would depend. Sometimes I felt a lot of pain and other times it felt kind of…good“.

Q: “Why did you decide to cut your arms instead of seeking other means for emotional relief?”
A: “I felt a kind of desperation and anxiety towards life in general. Once I started making the marks I couldn’t stop, it turned into an addiction. I thought “No one really cares, no one notices anyways”.

Q: “In what moments would you feel more compelled to injure yourself?”
A: “Depended on the situation, if I was with some friends I’d do it for fun. Other times it was because I felt sad or depressed or felt kind of frantic.”

Q: “Have you stopped hurting yourself? If so, how long did you last?”
A: “It’s over now, or at least I’m trying to end it. February was the last time I did anything.

Q: “Do you still feel the need to injure your body?”
A: “Sometimes I do, it’s addicting, but then I stop myself before I let my thoughts go any further.”

Q: “How were you able to overcome the problem?”
A: “I realized it was useless to do those things; the fun I thought was in it is gone. I came to the realization that there was no need to cut my arms, its pointless really, and it solves nothing.”

Q: “What advice would you give to others in a similar situation as yourself?”
A: “Try to find other means for your escape, a healthier mean. You don’t need to hurt yourself. If you feel the problem is too big, then find someone whom you can trust to express what you’re feeling.”

Ya hear that GBD? Find a way to express your feelings and stresses in a way that will not cause pain to yourself and especially not others. Hope this enlightened some peeps in some way.

Keep on kickin’!

Binks

About Binks

“Youth is not a time of life, but a state of mind…a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease” -Samuel Ullman