Healthy Alternatives for Self-Harmers: Books, Blogs and the Big Screen

Finding healthy alternatives to self-injury can be stressful. Sometimes, it’s tough finding someone who understands the emotions and thoughts connected with self-harm. Many people hate thinking about counseling or talking about their self-harm because, well, it is too personal.

So, if you’re too nervous to jump into therapy or tell someone you self-injure, where can you go? What can you do?

Why not dive into a good book? A TV show? A movie?

Books, Blogs and Movies About Self-Harm

If you watch a movie about self-injury or read a book that involves self-harm, you may be able to relate to those characters without spilling your emotions out. For the longest time, I avoided the subject. I didn’t want to face the truth that what I was doing to myself everyday was self-injury.

It took months of avoidance until I began watching a show on TV called Degrassi: The Next Generation. Being sixteen at the time, it was good to see real issues being recognized – including self-injury cutting. I quickly related to Ellie on Degrassi and from there, I began to seek out books and movies connected to self harm.

Media-Based, Healthy Alternatives for Self-Harmers

Below are a few examples of books, movies and shows from the past that have been helpful in my remission from self-harm. Some of these may go back ten or so years, but they helped me and can help others.

Books on Self-Harm

• Noon by Jennifer Aline
• Crosses by Shelley Stoehr
• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
• Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

TV Shows Dealing With Self-Injury

• Degrassi: The Next Generation
• 7th Heaven
• Intervention

Movies Featuring Self-Harm Themes

• Prozac Nation
• Black Swan
• Thirteen
• Girl, Interrupted

Seek Out Internet Self-Harm Support

Since it is hard to seek personal support at times, another healthy alternative for self-harmers is the Internet – if you look in the right places. HealthyPlace.com has more than enough helpful information on the Self-Injury Information Homepage. If you want to look beyond this blog, there are hundreds of blogs, video-blogs and audio-blogs out there that have plenty of information to fill your brain with. Many blogs are written by self-injurers and those who have overcome the struggle. You can also find self-injury videos. By finding websites, blogs and other forms of self-injury information you can relate to, you are seeking out the help that will push you in the right direction.

The more support, the better – no matter the type.