Does the urge to self harm ever go away?

[orangejuicecompany]

So the 15th of October is going to be the one year anniversary of when I started self harming, and I want to ask: does the urge to self harm ever go away? It's been over three months since I've last self harmed and I still think about it every single day.

 

[Tawny]

Eventually, you won't think about it every day, just on days when life feels too hard, times when your world seems to fall apart. When people ler you down badly or are extremely unkind and cause great stress.

This is why you need to be very careful with yourself, don't put yourself in risky situations, be careful who you let in to your life. You need stable people who give energy, not take it, not distress you.

 

[Deleted member 91323]

Hello and welcome to the forum. The urge lessens when we learn other coping methods. Often sh is a result of not being able to vocalise pain. In talking to an understanding therapist the pain is being addressed and that can help lessen the urges too.

 

[Murasakibee]

It definitely lessens. Now I only have urges when I'm feeling really low, anxious, or stressed. Or sometimes if I am triggered.
It does really lessen though and maybe someday it won't even cross my mind, I've spoken to people who said it wasn't even something they would consider anymore.

 

[Murasakibee]

Also congratulations on being three months clean. When I was three months clean, I still thought about it every day. When I was one year clean, I thought about it a lot still. 2 years cleans, I thought about it frequently and 3 and 4 years, ita only when I'm really upset.

Everyone has their own stories and their own experiences with sh and getting clean.

You are doing good even if you feel like you aren't and it does get better

 

[EarthChild]

For me it comes and goes. I get urges and then they fade. Usually the urges are brought on by stress and intense emotions, or feeling dead and wanting to harm myself to feel alive. Or if my meds not strong enough and I relapse. Self harm is part of my illness. Fortunately the urges are not always there - most of the time they aren't. They do go away - I don't have them constantly.

 

[anex]

Three months is amazing!
The urges stopped for a long time for me. I made it about 8 years without ever wanting to sh. Recently, the urges have come back. But I’m managing. What stops me is thinking about my inner child. She doesn’t deserve that. Neither do I, but...ya know. *shrug*

I hope the urges lessen for you and I’m really glad you’re reaching out to talk about it.