Rubber band?? Cutting....

Hello. I am new to this group.
I have self harmed once (as in cutting), then never did it again. But i have wanted to, sometime when setting the table, and i grab the cuttlery.i have this urge to lower the knife to my leg and do it quickly. But i somehow resist it. I know someone will obviously notice.
But anyway, i was actually wondering if hitting your wrist with a rubber band is considered self harm? I have read in many places on the web, that it depends on if you do it to the point of bruising or seriosu damage. (Which is not as bad as cutting obviously.) Then others say that its not because you are not doing serious damage to your skin.
And OTHERS say that any form of hurting yourslef, or self mutilation should be considered self harm.
????  
P.S incase any of you need this information to clarify your opinion, well i do pull the rubber band very far. The rubber band i use is also a very tough and thick one.  It leaves red marks sometimes for a few hours,.Although the longest and the toughest marks i had 3-5 days.

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0%

 (0) 

No it is not.

33%

 (1) 

It depends on the amount of ,e.g bruising, or breaking the skin, etc...

66%

 (2) 

Of course, any form of hurting yourslef should be considered self harm.

0%

 (0) 

We all have different opinions.

3 Members voted

[yelyabs]

Hey. Lots of people will have differing opinions on this topic understandably. Personally for a short term solution I don't think a rubber band is a terrible idea, but it could harm you by cutting circulation and damaging skin. When I went through a time of feeling I needed to self harm I would squeeze an ice cube in my hand to stop myself cutting (a doctor suggested it) It would cause enough pain from the cold to "satisfy" the need, and at the same time not damage/harm me. Maybe you could try that if you are worried about damaging your skin with the rubber band.

[Rugger1369]

Hi Mishy, welcome to the board! and yes that could be a way of self harm. I have also heard of rubber bands being used as a coping mechanism (like the ice cube mentioned above) to not cut/burn/etc. it is of course much milder, but you are self harming nonetheless.

Are there certain triggers you are able to avoid? Do you use other distractions that do not require harm, such as reading or music? Have you discussed these feelings/actions with anyone?

Sorry for the bombardment of questions but these may be things you should address...whether here or otherwise. We are always here to listen and to help where we can. (HUGS)(if ok to)

[MandyCake]

Just checking in to see how you are doing and if you have considered the advice of both Rugger and yelyabs above?

It was suggested I try the rubberband affect when I was in an IOP program by one of the counselors.  Yet when I did, another counselor told me to stop it because it was a form of self harm.  So there you have it... some counselors will support the idea of choosing the lessor of self harming methods, understanding that until new coping statagies are developed, you can not have your current coping skills taken away... but you can have the amount of self harm, decreased.  Then there are those counselors who will say all self harm behaviors need to stop and have you sign a "contract" stating you will not self harm while under their care.  I tend to avoid the latter group.

Harm reduction is the first step in the journey of letting go of self harming coping mechanisms and replacing them with healthier coping skills.  So if a rubberband prevents you from using a more "drastic" method, I would say okay... then challenge you to consider setting a goal of reducing the size of the rubberband and frequency of snapping it, then replacing it with a soft hair scruntchie, etc...

I hope this helps.
Gra'