Self Harm
What is self-harm?
Self harm is when somebody intentionally damages or injures their body to try to make unmanageable feelings more manageable
What are the short term effects?
Feeling pain
Feeling better - relieved, in control, bad thoughts gone
Feeling worse - upset, worries, regretful, embarrassed
What does it mean to cope?
having the capacity to deal successfully with something
How does not getting enough sleep impact wellness?
You may have difficulty concentrating, be more tired, be more emotionally unstable, and lack energy.
What is the window of tolerance?
It is when you are in a zone, a zone (like a window) where you feel like you can deal with whatever's happening to you in your life. You might feel stress or pressure, but it doesn't bother you too much. This is where you want to be.
Why do people Self-harm?
What are the long term effects?
Pian, infection, having to go to the hospital
Guilt, shame
Hiding scars
What is healthy coping?
Something safe that helps you to feel good.
True or False - stress is normal but too much stress increases the risk for health problems like depression.
True
What effects your window of tolerance?
Trauma and stress can effect your window of tolerance by making this zone smaller, making this harder to deal with/balance.
What counts as self harm?
1. Cutting/Scratching
2. Burning/Scalding
3. Hitting/Banging/Punching oneself
4. Hair pulling/skin picking
5. Using drugs or alcohol/ swallowing poisonous
6. Getting into fights on purpose
What is unhealthy coping?
This is something that might help you feel good in the moment but usually leaves people feeling worse later on and is potentially dangerous, such as using drugs or alcohol, or self-harm.
What 4 factors contribute to someone’s being able to manage stress?
Nutrition, exercise, sleep, and coping skills
What happens when you are out of your window of tolerance?
1. Hyperarousal - Anxious, overwhelmed, feeling like your body wants to fight or runaway, reactions take over
2. Hypoarousal - feeling zoned out, numb, frozen, like your body is shutting down, these reactions just take over
What makes someone (experiences) self-harm?
Major life events - Loss, separation of a loved one, family breakdowns, trauma, assault, fire, serious accidents
Life experiences - bullying, hard time at school, family/relationship problems, parent mental illness
Personal factors - mental health difficulties, lack of support, feeling isolated, alcohol/drug problems, difficulties with gender/sexual identity
How does self-harm effect families?
Conflict, worry, stress
What are 4 examples of healthy coping skills?
Listening to music, taking deep breaths, splashing cold water on your face, going for a walk, squeezing a stress ball, watching something on Netflix, playing with...
What is stigma?
A mark of shame associated with a particular circumstance, quality or person.
Feeling relaxed, calm, in control, balanced, and like you can do things
Its really difficult to say how many people self-harm, because a lot of people don't share or tell anyone!
Typically, people from the LGBTQIA+ are 2x more likely to self-harm; 1/3 people who are 16 - 24 yo; 33% of people did it in the last 12 months; females are more likely to; and 1/4 people have self-harmed and felt they could not tell anyone!
Does self-harm mean its the end all be all?
No, many people successfully recover and develop positive coping skills. If someone did it once, or did it again, it does not mean they will never get better.
What do people need to help them cope in good ways?
Emotional Awareness!! Identifying our emotions in the moment will help us choose what to do next. We can ask ourselves:
How do I right now? What is bothering me? Why does my body feel like that? What happened that i feel this way now?
Why do teens need more sleep than adults?
: The brain is still developing up until the age of 25.
What is trauma?
Trauma looks different for everyone
It could be: Physical abuse, seeing parents fight, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, death of a loved one, bullying, medical illnesses, life threatening accidents, natural disasters, being a victim of a crime