When it comes to counseling and therapy, almost everyone feels anxiety. Before stepping into an office for the first time, you feel unsure and stressed. Some people don’t think they need to be going to therapy and feel forced. Some people don’t believe that therapy will help and that it is simply a waste of time. Sometimes, it takes numerous sessions before any kind of opening up happens. One thing that is concrete about therapy is that it never hurts to try.

Everyone knows October as being Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pink is everywhere – in stores, on commercials, on Facebook and everywhere else imaginable. It’s great that awareness for this disease has been marketed so well. However, did you know that September was Childhood Cancer Awareness month? Did you know that October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, National Down Syndrome month and, of course, Mental Health Awareness month? It’s important to recognize all of the important pieces of a month and not get overwhelmed with one color.

When you see a person who self-injures, it's important to speak up. Let me share a story with you. I volunteer for a camp called Camp Good Days and Special Times. I know I’ve brought this up in my past blogs, but for those who don’t know – Camp Good Days is a camp for children and families touched by cancer. I started volunteering for this camp when I was sixteen, during my difficult years. This place was one of the reasons I stopped cutting myself. Seeing children suffering through the disease I survived made me realize I had a reason to be happy and help them. However, there was one camper who really stood out in my memory. Not just because of her cancer, but because of her arms.

Whether you are studying for an exam or getting to that therapy appointment, motivation is key. Without motivation, actions wouldn’t be successful. You need motivation to become self-harm free or to lose that ten pounds. So what do you do when you lack the motivation you know you need to succeed?

Many of us have been in a conversation when a topic you do not feel comfortable with was brought up. Maybe it was just a statement or a joke or a word. No matter what it was, you were left feeling unsure and uneasy. Some people may be able to laugh it off and try to change the subject. Some people walk away and turn their backs on the discussion because they just can’t stand to listen. One thing is for sure - it is hard to speak up.

School is officially in session and whether you are in high school or college, you’re probably feeling a little bit of stress.  Well, some of you may be feeling completely overwhelmed and that is more than understandable.  However, take a step back and look at everything you have on your plate.  Homework? Sports? Jobs? Rent? All of the above? Being overly ambitious can, at times, lead to stress and being too stressed can, at times, lead to negative behaviors – such as self-harm.

For self-harmers, cutting or burning or picking is a form of comfort. However, we also know that this is not a safe form of comfort or a coping skill that should stick around. We know that these behaviors are not only hurtful to our bodies, but also hurtful to our minds. Every time a mark is made, your mind becomes frenzied with thoughts – I’m glad I did that. That felt great. Wait, am I glad I did that. I feel much better. Did that really help me? All of a sudden, anxiety rises once the euphoric feeling disappears and that is what leads to more negative behaviors being thought about. Therefore, stepping out of your comfort zone may be a good step forward.

It’s getting close to the season of pumpkins and cinnamon and apples. In some places, it is already here and the walls of stores are painted in orange and black. Since recently a lot of my blogs have focused on skin picking, I’ll just keep the topic going for a little bit longer. This being my favorite season of the year, I’ve decided to make a pact with myself when it comes to self-harm, even though I technically haven’t self-harmed in over five years. I will stop picking my skin and pick apples instead. Well, sort of.

During my self-harming years, writing was my main outlet and focus. All my life, I’ve been writing, but as a teenager dealing with deep depression and a parent’s divorce, writing became more than just a hobby. It became the one coping skill I could really count on. Well, until my floppy disk would crash (yes, floppy disk). I’m not trying to push writing onto self-harmers who are seeking a positive coping skill to replace their negative one. I’m just putting it out there as an option. There are many other creative ways that can help you stop harming yourself. But since writing is the skill that practically saved my life, it is the one I know best.

In one of my earlier blogs, I discussed something called body-focused repetitive behaviors. These are behaviors almost every human being deals with and doesn’t realize it is a different version of self-harm – picking hang nails, biting nails, picking at zits or pimples are just a few common ones. Typically, these behaviors are not done to distract, release frustration or to emotionally connect to the pain. Usually, body-focused repetitive behaviors are done without realization. So, why am I bringing this up again? It goes back to my face and how I fell on it this weekend.