Harmful emotional behavior: Definition, triggers, instances, and solutions
Managing Emotional Self-Harm: A Comprehensive Guide
Emotional self-harm, the intentional infliction of emotional pain, distress, or suffering, can be a challenging issue to navigate. However, effective coping strategies can help manage urges and promote healing. This article outlines both immediate self-soothing techniques and long-term therapeutic approaches.
Immediate Coping Strategies
In moments of distress, various techniques can help manage urges and promote self-soothing. These strategies include:
- Using sensory substitutes such as holding ice cubes, cold compresses, or snapping a rubber band on the wrist to replace physical self-harm sensations.
- Engaging in grounding exercises like deep breathing, mindfulness, or listing sensory experiences to stay connected to the present moment.
- Physical activities like walking, running, or yoga to release emotional tension.
- Creative outlets like drawing or doodling to express emotions non-destructively.
- Reaching out to trusted friends, family, or helplines for support and connection.
Long-Term Healing Strategies
For lasting change, it's essential to address underlying emotional pain and build healthier coping skills. This can be achieved through:
- Evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to develop distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and healthier thought patterns.
- Identifying and addressing underlying mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma, or low self-worth, which contribute to self-harm behavior.
- Building a "toolbox" of coping skills learned in therapy for use when emotions feel overwhelming.
- Journaling to explore feelings and triggers.
- Joining support groups to connect with others who share similar experiences and gain social support.
Professional Help
Seeking professional help is crucial when self-harm is frequent, urges feel uncontrollable, or there are suicidal thoughts. Mental health professionals can tailor coping strategies and treatment plans to individual needs, providing a safe, nonjudgmental space to heal.
Additional Resources
- Calling 911 or your local emergency services number is an option if you feel safe to do so.
- The 988 Lifeline is available for free and confidential support 24/7 in the United States.
- If a person is experiencing suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self-harm, they should seek immediate medical attention.
- The Crisis Text Line is available for free and confidential support 24/7 by texting HOME to 741741.
- If people do not experience relief from emotional self-harm despite using coping strategies, they may consider seeking help from a mental health professional.
- Befrienders Worldwide can help find a helpline in your country.
Understanding Emotional Self-Harm
Emotional self-harm can manifest in various ways, including constant negative self-talk, self-berating, isolating from social interactions, setting impossibly high standards, holding on to past mistakes, feeling undeserving of happiness, and engaging in behaviors that undermine personal success and happiness.
Therapeutic Approaches
Therapies such as Psychodynamic Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help individuals understand the root of the problem and address it through integrating coping mechanisms. Additionally, identifying thinking distortions can help people manage their thoughts and behaviors.
Empowerment Through Therapy
While therapy cannot erase the past, it can help identify the factors that influence present-day thinking and choices, producing empowerment to seek out individuals or situations that do not recreate a sense of invalidation. Practicing emotional regulation may help reduce emotionally self-harming thoughts and behaviors.
In summary, effective coping comprises immediate alternative actions to manage emotional distress and sustained therapeutic work to heal and replace self-harm with healthier emotional regulation tools. It's essential to remember that everyone's journey is unique, and a personalised approach to coping strategies is crucial for long-term success.
- The guide highlights immediate coping strategies such as using sensory substitutes, engaging in grounding exercises, physical activities, creative outlets, and reaching out to support systems to manage urges in moments of emotional distress.
- Long-term healing requires addressing underlying mental health issues, learning and applying coping skills from evidence-based therapies like CBT and DBT, journaling, joining support groups, and seeking professional help when necessary.
- Mental health professionals can offer tailored coping strategies, treatment plans, and a safe space to heal in cases of frequent self-harm, uncontrollable urges, or suicidal thoughts.
- Additional resources like emergency services, the 988 Lifeline, Crisis Text Line, Befrienders Worldwide, and calling a mental health professional are available for those experiencing emotional self-harm or thoughts of self-harm.
