Self-harm

 Today I'm going to talk about self - harm .

    

What comes through your mind when you hear about self -harm ? 

Self-harm is a non suicidal self injury ( NSSI ) that caused intentionally harm to one self's own body.

Self harm can be in a form of cutting, pulling one's own  hair , punching and burning of the skin .

Self harm can also include abuse of alcohol and drugs and etc . 

The main reason why people self harm is because they want to escape from their emotional pain .

Self harm should be taken seriously and should not be taken as attention seeking 🧐

Signs one might self harm would be :

1) Wearing  long sleeves or pants that could hide their self harm scars . 

2) Pulling of their hair 

3) misusing alcohol and drugs

4) Expressing a wish to punish themselves

5) Signs of low self-esteem such as blaming themselves for any problems 

6) Becoming very withdrawn or not speaking to others 

7) Signs of low mood such as depression or lack of motivation.

There are a few ways that you can help a friend who is self harming. 

Here are the lists:

1) Avoid judgement

2)Seek understanding

3) Be supportive

4) Don't dismiss

5) Don't ask for promises

6)Try to be accepting and normalize

7) Use empathy

In conclusion,  there is hope for self harmers by seeking help from a professional. There are lots of therapies out there whom you can seek for help . 

And it's ok to not be ok cause afterall we are still human beings.

Thank you for taking your time to read this article . Hope it'll help .

- Jocelyn Ng Shu Yee