What is self-harm?
Usually self-harm is when you deliberately hurt yourself to cause pain or injury, without wanting to die.
Some people think self-harm is done to gain attention or manipulate others, however, this is usually not the case. It’s usually done to help cope with difficult or painful feelings and it may also help with feeling more in control. Although it may provide short-term relief, it does not resolve difficult feelings and it could even lead to a serious medical emergency.
- Binge-eating or starvation
- Cutting, burning, or hitting oneself
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Pulling out hairs
- Punching walls or other objects
- Repeatedly putting oneself in dangerous situations
- Scratching or picking the skin
- Taking an overdose of medication or drinking poison
If you have self-harmed, ensure that you clean and bandage the injury to avoid infection.
If you have hurt yourself more than you expected, get medical advice from your local doctor or hospital, or call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 to speak to a registered nurse.
Talk to someone
Talking can help ease your pain. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to a family member or friend, you can talk to a doctor, counsellor, teacher, or call a crisis line, like Lifeline (131 114).
Identify triggers
Identify and write down times, places, or feelings you have when you self-harm and those times, places, or feelings you have when you’re less likely to self-harm. This will help you avoid those situations that trigger that behaviour. As well as helping you see a pattern, this exercise of writing things down is a way to express your emotions which may help you cope better.
Distract yourself
When you feel the need to self-harm, wait 15 minutes. During that time, do something that redirects your attention away from the desire to self-harm. This can include going for a walk, playing a game, exercising, mindfulness activities, or talking to someone. Often the urge to self-harm will reduce after a period of time.
Use a different tactic
Instead of self-harming, do an activity that has a similar effect but without causing injury, eg instead of cutting, draw on your arm, hold an ice-cube, or snap a rubber band on your wrist.
Relax
Deep breathing or any other relaxation method can help you cope with overwhelming feelings.
Free counselling services are offered through Student Wellbeing to all USC students. Alternatively, your GP can provide you with a referral to a private psychologist in the community and for more information on this process, visit Better Access Initiative.
Websites
Apps
- Breathe2Relax (B2R) (Android - free, iPhone - free)
- Deep Relaxation (iPhone – free)
- Nature Sounds Relax and Sleep (Android – free)
- Worry Box – Anxiety Self-Help (Android – free)