Goodbye letter to self-harm
Hey guys
Someone just left a comment on the "Dear self-harm" page and it reminded me about just how powerful the letter is and how strong and inspiring the author is. And I beleive that anyone working to recover from self-harming behaviour is a;sp strong
If you are one of those couragious people drawing on their strengths to learn new coping strategies and move away from self-harm then have a read of this great letter to self-harm. Let me know what y ou think aboui it by replying below or commenting on the page.
Dear Self Harm,
I want you to know that it is over between us. I know I have said this before, but it has taken me every ounce of courage to say it now. You left when I was fifteen and I thought we were through, but then you came crawling back around my sixteenth birthday to show me we were not.
You made my family and friends concerned, and forced me to distance myself from them in order to keep you satisfied. They kept telling me how bad you were for me, but you kept tempting me to come back for more. And I did.
You visited me often, even at unspeakable hours, ready to scream and yell about how much I deserved you and how you were the only one to truly care about me. And that, no matter how much I hated you, I couldn't let you go because I was addicted to the pain you gave me.
Comments
You promised me that you would take away my pain. you told me you would fight the voices I heard. But then you became one. You told me that I was weak and pathetic, you whispered lies into my ears until I come running back into arms. You said that you would make everything be ok. But it's not ok. You just make things worse. We have been together 5 years but it's been an abusive relationship. I don't deserve the pain you caused me. I am better than you. You may still follow me around but I am getting better at ignoring you.
-redhead
People who self-harm are mostly looking for a way to feel better, a way to cope - they are actually caring for themselves, so I can definitely understand that. But like you have said redhead in the long run it's made things more difficult & can be dangerous.....
I think I'm going to post a survival kit thread so we can all share what our best survival skills/tools are so we can all remember we have options.
I've never read this before - thanks for sharing such a powerful letter! Although self-harm isn't the best way of coping with things, it doesn't mean you're weak or a terrible person if you find yourself struggling with it. The way I see it, it just means you're on a journey trying to deal with your emotions in whatever way you can. Sometimes it takes time to learn better ways. And then saying goodbye to those old, unhelpful ways of coping takes an awesome amount of strength 🙂
Always remember: you're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think 😉
