This blog was for a project. The topic was chosen after a certain Facebook page provided me with some comfort. I'm no longer ashamed of my self injury though sometimes that can be tough to accept. I'm not afraid to have blogs based on SI, or class research on SI, and if a friend asks a question about it then I'll answer. I do have limits, I don't show people. Yes, when I'm manic and I do it I don't think and I will sometimes do it on my hand. This is NOT to show the world, if I could hide it I would. But it isn't something I'm proud of so please know this. I don't believe anyone should be ashamed of their self injury. Wear it as a personal reminder that you are still here, you're alive, and breathing. You're human.
I have over 30,000 views on this blog alone and I'm hoping most of those were helpful. I'd like to try and get back into this blog but it may take some time. I also considered making this a Facebook page instead to maybe get more people involved and it's a little easier for me to update more often. I could share links, photos, stories, I'd pick a weekly topic about self injury and the body and we could have discussions throughout the week. Everyone could contribute and we could make it a community where we can feel safe about what we talk about. So maybe I'll throw together a page and post the link on here and you guys can like the page or if I can figure out a friend request type thing. If it's a disaster than we go back to just the blog. Trial and Error :)
My last thought is that every single one of you who reads this and comments on it I want you to know that I honest to God care about you. I almost think about my readers. I want you to be safe, I want you to have the courage to ask for help, I want you to love yourself, to be yourself, to never be ashamed of who you are or what you've done, to see your scars as beautiful and a part of you not as ugly or sad, your body is important and taking care of mind body and spirit is key no matter how old or young you are, and lastly to know that you are never alone in this, you are beautiful, and strong, and I believe in every one of you. I mean that.
Once my homework gets out of the way I'll start getting the blog up and running. Please check out my other blog on overcoming self injury, there's some good stuff on that one as well.
-Emily
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Person Doing A Speech
First of all thank you everyone for reading, I'm getting close to 30,000 views so I'm thinking this is helping some of you. I worry that this blog can be triggering to some so please stop reading if it is triggering to you. Otherwise I'm not updating this blog anymore after today, or at least I'm taking a break to help myself. I do have another blog called Overcoming Self Injury so if you want to check that out please do.
I received a request from a reader who is writing a speech and asked if I could post information for them to use. They also asked where I get my information. What I did for this blog was research. I searched all over the internet for information on self injury, self esteem, body image, and scarring. I interviewed people over Facebook and they told me their stories. I also took a lot of my own experiences and used that in some of my posts. But I am in no way a medical doctor. I interpret this information in my own way to make it easier for people to understand this "disorder".
My definition of self injury is the act of purposely inflicting pain on ones self that will give some form of relief during a time of stress, anxiety, depression, etc...
Many people report not having a specific reason for as to why they do it. Yes, sometimes people do it for the attention but I don't like discussing that area since I know of no one who has done so. In most cases it begins as a result of some form of trauma, a interuption of daily life, psychiatric disorders.
Self injury is often a very private matter and is usually hidden under clothing and kept a secret. The most common parts of the body are the arms, legs, stomach, chest, and even genitals in some cases. It is easy to cut through a vein which could lead to death also cuts can become infected very easily.
Some people choose to seek out professional help while others try to deal with it on their own though I recommend medical help.
Self injury is NOT a sign of suicidal intent. It is instead a signal for help. That person may not say it but they wouldn't be doing it if they weren't struggling. They don't want to die (in most cases) but instead they want to live but being caught in self injury can give them a feeling of hopelessness and they do want to live again.
The number of self injurers are increasing every day. They cut, burn, pick, bruise, and starve. No two people are alike. They all have different stories, symptoms, coping methods.
Self injury is done by all genders, a wide range of age groups, races. Its an issue that needs more attention.
I hope this helps, also google some info, that should help!
I received a request from a reader who is writing a speech and asked if I could post information for them to use. They also asked where I get my information. What I did for this blog was research. I searched all over the internet for information on self injury, self esteem, body image, and scarring. I interviewed people over Facebook and they told me their stories. I also took a lot of my own experiences and used that in some of my posts. But I am in no way a medical doctor. I interpret this information in my own way to make it easier for people to understand this "disorder".
My definition of self injury is the act of purposely inflicting pain on ones self that will give some form of relief during a time of stress, anxiety, depression, etc...
Many people report not having a specific reason for as to why they do it. Yes, sometimes people do it for the attention but I don't like discussing that area since I know of no one who has done so. In most cases it begins as a result of some form of trauma, a interuption of daily life, psychiatric disorders.
Self injury is often a very private matter and is usually hidden under clothing and kept a secret. The most common parts of the body are the arms, legs, stomach, chest, and even genitals in some cases. It is easy to cut through a vein which could lead to death also cuts can become infected very easily.
Some people choose to seek out professional help while others try to deal with it on their own though I recommend medical help.
Self injury is NOT a sign of suicidal intent. It is instead a signal for help. That person may not say it but they wouldn't be doing it if they weren't struggling. They don't want to die (in most cases) but instead they want to live but being caught in self injury can give them a feeling of hopelessness and they do want to live again.
The number of self injurers are increasing every day. They cut, burn, pick, bruise, and starve. No two people are alike. They all have different stories, symptoms, coping methods.
Self injury is done by all genders, a wide range of age groups, races. Its an issue that needs more attention.
I hope this helps, also google some info, that should help!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
New Blog!
Hey everyone!
I started a new blog called Overcoming Self Injury find it here http://overcomingsi.blogspot.com/ .
It focuses on overcoming the act of self injury rather than the act itself. It will feature personal experiences of from myself and from others on overcoming SI. This blog is no longer going to be updated so follow the link to the knew one! Please read!
-Emily
I started a new blog called Overcoming Self Injury find it here http://overcomingsi.blogspot.com/ .
It focuses on overcoming the act of self injury rather than the act itself. It will feature personal experiences of from myself and from others on overcoming SI. This blog is no longer going to be updated so follow the link to the knew one! Please read!
-Emily
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Self Injury As An Addiction
The next topic I want to discuss with this blog is self injury as an addiction. When someone is cutting, burning, purging, etc, they are using it as a coping mechanism. When someone drinks alcohol to become drunk or drugs to get high they are also using that as a coping mechanism. So when we put the two together side by side we can see that self injury can be addiction just like drugs and alcohol. People who cut often describe their cutting as an addiction because they become to used to the feeling that they can't stop. From a personal prospective I agree with that entirely. It can take years of fighting it and yet people still can't stop. It's is something familiar, something they find comfort in, and they simply cannot stop. I look forward to speaking with people about their experiences.
-Emily
Returning to the blog
This blog began as a way for me to let others see the truth behind self injury. It means something different to every person. Some want pain, others want release, and others feel like it's the only way to feel normal. This blog was for a class, just a few months, once or twice a week. I had no idea how many people I would be helping, how many people would be reading this like a book waiting for a real conclusion. I've decided to start again, or continue from where I left off. Please share this with others whether they need help themselves or you know someone who needs to understand self injury. I thank you for reading this, it's inspired me to write about self injury again and it's something very close to me.
To continue the blog I will ask a new question to follow up from Self Injury and the Body. When I find more information I will write again and I hope you're all here to read it.
-Emily
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Analysis
photo from the fb page
Much ground has been covered throughout this ethnography but a main thread I want to address is how a self injurer lives and copes with their scars and cuts. Every person deals with it in a certain way because we all have different levels of comfort and self acceptance. In some cases people go to all lengths to hide what they've done because they are ashamed, embarrassed, or insecure. By wearing long sleeve shirts and sweaters year round they provide some form of a safety net for themselves. As we saw with KK, she was well aware of the fact that she would have scars so she scratched instead so the healing process would be quick and easy to hide. To this day she keeps any visible marks covered. She lives with those marks, they are a part of her and always will be. With KL she was more upfront with her experience with cutting. She began as a need for attention in a sibling dominated world and as she got older she needed something less visible and turning to sleep medication gave her just that. She lives with self injury by taking on a silent approach and one could argue that she's not living with it, she's surviving it. Some of her scarring is covered by tattoos but even layers of ink cannot cover an insecurity so big. JS was entirely different, he has the ability to go through life with scars and cuts out in the open. If someone asks about the marks he changes the subject or simply doesn't answer. His marks are like rings of a tree, they're part of him and he lives with them as a reminder that sometimes makes him and stop and think about what he's doing to himself.
When I look back at my observations of the facebook page it is easy to see that the page is used as a coping mechanism. A place where you can find uplifting quotes and pictures, helpful wall posts that get you through the day, and where you can ask for help and someone will always be there to help answer. Hundreds of members scan the page daily just to see what it has to offer. While the page itself is not a substitute for a therapist, it is a perfect place to seek refuge in between appointments, or during those days where you need a pick me up or some advice. It is an important factor in living with self injury. A typical self injurer is much stronger than he or she thinks they are. It takes a lot to go days or weeks or even months wearing long sleeves especially in hot weather, it takes a lot to hide behind a fake smile, and it takes a lot to be able to look at their scars and say I am me and I am beautiful. Every self injurer is different. They do it on different levels, different body parts, with different objects but the end result will always be a cut/burn and a scar of some sort. Self injury affects the body in multiple ways and it is because of this that coping is so important. The hardest part is being able to get through every day of your life with those marks on your skin and that is what coping with and living with SI is really about, getting through each day one day at a time because that's all you can do.
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