Why do self harmers wear rubber bands

Thank you so much for highlighting your thoughts on this as an unhealthy practice! This is so interesting. I remember this being recommended to me when I was young to stop bad habits. I never knew it was a movie troupe, too. Thank you for sharing this — I think your perspective on how it relates to self-harm is very important.

Negative reinforcement! A double ouch. But I have also not seen any of those titles you shared! Important warning! I suffer claustrophobia and was pretty bad with it at school. My mum suggested the rubber band technique to help manage the dizziness, but no matter how many times I snapped it, it never worked.

Graded exposure being done with a therapist and safe environment would be a far better strategy to tackle claustrophobia.

I remember using a rubber band when I was 18ish and going through everything. I never made that connection with snapping rubber bands and mental health. I had a couple friends who self harmed in middle school. From what I understood of their journeys, self harm is a slippery slope.

I was surprised reading through others comments that any therapist still recommends the rubber band snapping practice. While I understand the need for a physical, outward expression of inner mental pain there are much healthier ways to achieve this.

A lot of people I know wear rubber bands on their wrist and snap it every time they have problem. I thought that snapping rubber band is a good idea. It helps you with nothing. Is snapping rubber bands the same as playing with fidget spinners in this context?

I also appreciate how you listed movies or TV shows that depict this kind of behavior; it makes it more compelling — good job. I also like how specific you are with the discussion — from the problems to the science behind it itself, and its relation to other mental disorders.

Very informative and educational article as always! Whenever I read your content, I learn something new. Love love love. Thanks for sharing! However, fidget spinners could be a good way to keep your hands busy to deal with conditions like skin picking and trying to give up smoking.

This is informative! It is important to learn to communicate emotions in a healthy and appropriate way rather than discharging it with a physical act.

In my opinion, it should only ever be used as a harm reduction method for people who already self-harm. Search for: Search. Warning This article will talk about self-harm, which might not be evident by the title of this article. Do I really want to do this again. Trying talking to people. It's important to find something that you need to focus on. That way you will distract your thought and the urge to self harm. For example,I have used drawing as a way to get throught those urges.

Do something that you love and that fulfills you but also that is distracting enough. Personally I replaced self harm with distraction therapy, I vary what I do one time I may go for a walk another time I may use colour therapy or take a hot bath, the most effective one for me though was to have a elastic band round my wrist and every time I got the urge to self harm I'd snap it against my wrist, but to really stop self harming the underline issue needs to be addressed and worked on.

Having a nice warm bubble bath with a cup of hot chocolate is what I use to replace self-harm. I've also asked to go for an evening walk with one of my family members, I find the cool night air helps clear my mind. I love this question! I used to struggle with self harm but no longer do. For example, for me, it's a lake near my house. Eat although emotional eating can become unhealthy as long as you avoid binge eating you should be okay.

Play a game video game, board game, etc. Call someone Write down some other things on your to-do list whether it's homework, mail a bill, clean, etc.

This could take away some anxiety thus causing you to lose that urge to self harm. Those are just some of the things that seemed to work for me, I hope you guys can use them too! I used to self harm and my coping mechanism is reading, talking with friends and playing a sport.

If those don't help try going to one of our self help guides. Anonymous December 14th, am. I found that drawing on my skin instead of hurting it helps, and keeping a journal to vent everything can be therapeutic. Anonymous December 14th, pm. Cold ice on skin and elastic band pings. The best technique in my opinion is the distraction technique; resist the urge for 5 mins and then another 5 minutes and the longer you delay it, the less you feel the need to self harm.

I have made use of the ice cube technique hold and ice cube in your fist until the urge to cut passes and drawing on my skin instead of cutting. Anonymous February 29th, pm. Drawing patterns on the areas where they would usually harm, using nothing sharp, like felt tip pens. You could draw on yourself with a soft tip pen or marker, painting, drawing, sports, anything that will help you relax and feel better.

Music, ice cubes, drawing on the place you want to harm yourself, rubber bands, warm not hot bath or shower. I plan on getting tattoos on the places I harm the most so that I'll be afraid to ruin the beautiful art in those places. Some people do it as a way of expressing their distress, taking back control or escaping from situations they find troubling. Some people find self-harm gives them a sense of relief.

Whatever the reason, self-harm is normally a sign that a person is feeling intense emotional pain and distress. For young people, many stressful things stressors happen all at once. Unless the problems that are causing the self-harming behaviour are addressed, people will continue to use it as a way to cope.

Unfortunately, self-harm can be dangerous — it can lead to serious injury and even accidental death. It can also lead to a higher risk of developing physical and mental health issues, substance misuse and unemployment.

Some people who self-harm have feelings of shame, self-loathing and helplessness and may have suicidal thoughts. Many people who attempt suicide have a history of self-harm. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:.

A person with agoraphobia is afraid to leave familiar environments, because they are afraid of having a panic attack. The Alexander technique stresses that movement should be economical and needs only the minimum amount of energy and effort. Know that you are not alone, push through the anxiety of sharing to get help.

Know it will shift and change, and that these feelings are not forever. Well-managed anger can be a useful emotion that motivates you to make positive changes. There are many people you can talk to who can help you overcome feelings of wanting to lash out.

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Skip to main content. Home Depression. Self-harm and self-injury. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. What is self-harm? Getting support for self-harming behaviour Seeking help for suicidal thoughts How do I know if someone is self-harming? Supporting someone who self-harms Self-harming behaviour is treatable Finding alternatives to self-harm Who is at risk of self-harm?

Why do people self-harm? Additionally, using self-harm substitutes, like the one you described, may be a sign that the emotions or stressors contributing to your desire to hurt yourself are still bothering you.

Resisting the urge to self-injure may involve finding ways to manage the triggers that lead to self-injuring. Finally, if you continue to feel the urge to self-injure, it may be helpful to find a mental health professional to talk with about these urges.

If you are a college student, you may be able to schedule an appointment with a mental health professional on your campus. In addition, the Mental Health America website has resources on finding counseling services throughout the country. While it may be difficult at first, expressing your emotions and talking about how to deal with stress in a more positive way may help you avoid self-injuring in the future.

You deserve to find ways of coping with stress that don't also cause you harm. Here's to working towards what healthy stress management looks like for you,.