Self-Harm Versus Sickness: Your Health is Important

When you are smack in the middle of a ridiculously frigid winter, you are bound to have health issues thrown at you. Cold weather brings forward the flu, sinus congestion and severe agitation with trying to stay healthy (especially when nothing seems to be working). When you are sick and struggling with stopping self-harm urges, it can be a battle trying to switch the focus from harming your body to helping it. But you need to remember that your health is important. In the battle of self-harm versus sickness, healing the sickness needs to win.

Self-harmers, past and present, know that when you are sick, self-injuring seems like the best coping skill to use. When you are someone trying to overcome self-harm behaviors, dealing with a sickness on top of the self-harm struggle can be more than a burden. It also may seem as if turning to self-harm may be the easiest way out of at least one of those battles.

We know that is not true because those urges will always return.

Sickness and the “Winter Blues”

Not only has my anxiety level (and some depression) skyrocketed lately, my health has also dramatically dipped. It seems I have yet to catch a break when it comes to my immune system being in a warzone and having the “Winter Blues” on top of these health issues has not been easy.

I have been taking more yoga and exercise classes, drinking prescribed herbs, testing out acupuncture and what I've gotten in return is: vertigo, a kidney stone and continual anxiety. I know I have full control over how I react to these situations, but it is tough handling them with positivity when my body hasn’t been reacting in a similar way.

When taking everything into perspective, even though I know I could be handling my emotions in a healthier way, I am proud I have not fallen back to needing self-harm as a coping skill. Even though six years seems like a long time to go without a cut, all self-harmers (past and present) know it only takes one strong urge to fall backwards into self-harm – and one fall is all it takes to be back at square one.

Your Health Matters: Self-Harm Versus Sickness

During my years of self-harm, I was sick quite often with sinus infections and colds (being a cancer survivor, my immune system is not the best). I remember how difficult is was to handle sickness when trying to stop powerful self-harm urges. All I wanted to do was cut my skin, grab a handful of Tylenol and roll back over and sleep. There were many times when I did, in fact, give in and do just that.

However, there were even more times when I won over the urge to self-harm and found a healthy, safe way to redirect.

It is important for those struggling with sickness and self-harm urges to remember where you came from and how strong you have become and that your health matters. By remembering how great it felt overcoming any bump in the road (whether it be self-harm or not), you may be able to put your present life into perspective and realize that what you are facing now can be conquered with the same strength you had in the past.

Because that strength is still inside of you.

You can also find Jennifer Aline Graham on Google+, Facebook, Twitter and her website is here. Find out more about Noon through Amazon.com.