Hi, I feel your pain. Sometimes not saying a lot is saying more. Cutting is dark, and it only offers a temporary stress reliever and a very temporary short relief at that. It is not a real solution at all. I'm taking anti-anxiety meds and anti-depression meds. I'm also seeing a counselor to learn coping skills. Here is what I've learned so far. We have issues that cause our anxiety to spike uncontrollably. I'm learning to manage my emotions, and not allow my emotions to manage me. Also, I am trying to process what is really bothering me. Right now, I process it usually after I hurt myself. It really would help if I deal with my pain and anxiety before the hurt-myself session/episode but I haven't been able to be cognitive about it that way yet. I also try to be proactive about my life, instead of just reacting to situations. I try to re-frame what is happening to me and put my anxiety into perspective and grounded in reality. Usually an anxiety attack starts from a thought or feeling. I test that thought or feeling out whether it's grounded in reality or whether it is based on irrational fear. I also try to work on the root of my anxieties. And I try to look at my life from a third person observing what is going on. Am I reacting to an event in the past? Am I reacting to triggers from old family ties and/or friends/acquaintances that I haven't dealt with? Am I feeling like when I was a child who feels helpless and I am reacting to a similar event happening to somebody else but it mirrors my past so much that I feel like I'm going through it again? Dealing with your roots is hard work. It's easier to just react and self-sooth. But you are worth it! Learn to love yourself unconditionally! You are worth it! |
