I have come to realize how important it is to specifically schedule time to focus on you. When you struggle with self-harm or a mental illness, those battles begin to take over your life. You cannot focus on hobbies and passions with as much ease because those busy, irritating thoughts are clouding your mind. The more you give in to the self-injury urges that surround you, the more time you give up that could have been benefiting your wellness and health. What you might want to focus on is more time for you and less time for self-harm.

When you’re struggling with self-harm and the symptoms of depression, finding motivation to do anything can be a daily battle. For those battling mental illness, rolling out of bed in the morning can often cause more anxiety than the minutes leading up to a big test or interview. It can be difficult to imagine this intense lack of motivation if someone hasn’t experienced the draining, pulling force self-harm, depression and other mental illnesses can have on a person but what I've learned is that focusing on fitness can help prevent self-harm.

Many of those who self-harm feel trapped inside their own skin. It can be difficult deciphering what your body is telling you when your own behaviors are unrecognizable. These mood highs and lows can make those struggling with mental illness turn to destroying the skin they feel trapped inside of, hoping those feelings will disappear. However, it can be tough ignoring a fresh self-harm scar and forgetting what brought you to that point of recklessness when it is right in front of you. Even after a quick glance at a recent self-injury mark, a terrific day can turn into a nightmare because of the emotions locked inside the wound. Mood highs and lows affect self-harm behavior.

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.

In the realm of self-harm, happiness is sometimes just as much a battle as the fight against self-injury. Maintaining a sense of positivity in your life can be as difficult as turning away from the self-harm urges and triggers that follow your every move. When you are struggling with severe depression, self-harm may become more of an everyday occurrence because it has been the coping skill you have always turned to (even though unsafe and unhealthy). But self-harm is a Band-Aid, and your can't put a Band-Aid over unhappiness.

More times than not, those who self-harm have incredibly low self-esteem and self-confidence and have an "everyone hates me" mindset. This can often route from struggles with depression and anxiety, which is common in the self-harm realm. At times, those who feel this way may stretch what they see to be the truth – meaning that while they see everyone as hating them, those around them really don’t feel that way. Since this is common amongst those who self-harm and battle mental health demons, it also means it could take many years before they begin to gain some sort of positive self-concept.

When people who self-harms feel the need to harm their bodies, they typically turn to the same coping skills they use on a daily basis to stop the urge. Many people listen to music or use deep breathing to help maintain composure when feeling uneasy. Going for a walk or writing down thoughts can be helpful when handling the urge to self-harm. However, sometimes turning to the same coping skills can be just as frustrating as the urge itself when those coping skills don’t always work. Unique self-harm alternatives like massage and acupuncture can help stop self-harm.

It isn’t easy growing up – that is a hard, long-known fact. Adolescence is when change is constantly occurring and it is also when many of those who struggle with self-harm become addicted. This isn’t the case for all because there are many individuals who begin self-injurious behaviors before they hit their teens and some who begin self-harm during adult years.

We have all experienced moments that spark a certain thought or make us feel a certain way. For some, an “ah-ha” moment could be a specific lesson an admired professor taught or something tragic occurring on the news. It may be the birth of a family member or the death of a loved one that really stops you in your tracks. Sometimes, these incidents could be the push you need to stop an addiction or an unsafe habit.

Even though the New Year has barely begun, many people have already fallen short when it comes to resolutions. People often go into the New Year with bright expectations and when those expectations do not work out as hoped, people may give up. For those trying to handle both daily life and living with mental illness, giving up on New Year's resolutions is not the best decision when hoping to turn over a near leaf and stay free of self-harm/self-injury.