funfanstuff:

For those of you who don’t know, self harm can be subtle. It isn’t always visible scars and blood and such. Here’s a list of a few ways people self harm that are more subtle to watch out for in your friends.

– avoiding self-care (ex: not showering, not drinking water, not eating or overeating, keeping oneself awake)
– not taking medication(s)
– procrastinating or completely not doing an important task for the punishment they get in response
– not talking
– talking, but never about themselves
– spending all their cash (to binge, so they don’t buy that self-harm item they’ve been looking at, so they can’t buy lunch tomorrow and have an excuse) or none of it (so they don’t have to eat, so they don’t get that boost of happiness from buying something, so they can watch you buy something and torture themselves with the idea that you feel bad about eating in front of them and therefor they feel guilty which is a negative feeling… yeah it’s confusing but it’s what my brain does)
– not allowing comfort objects or comforting people when you need them
– refusing to do anything that makes you happy because you “don’t deserve it”
– overworking yourself so other people think you’re successful and happy while actually you’re just doing it to feel more stressed
– setting your alarm earlier than you have to so you sleep less and are therefor more tired

It can get complicated and weird to have mental health issues. Become aware of when you or someone you love is self harming, even subtly, so you can begin to stop it. Don’t torture yourself.

I’m going to go try and take my own advice. In the meantime, know that you are valid; you are loved; you are worth it. Be safe ❤