The Evolution of Self-Harm

 This will be a series of pieces so I label this I.

Don’t get me wrong, I love that mental health is such a thing now and that there are more conversations about it and a resulting awareness and that is just beautiful to speak the least. More people are seeing therapists(at least around my circles) and we can now joke about things we couldn’t before. And that’s good and I understand that it will take time for society to fully assimilate these learnings, but about certain topics, I feel like they start on the wrong end. Think of me as someone unqualified sharing my thoughts on how I think we should approach these conversations more effectively, a little similar to your boyfriend shouting instructions and suggestions during a football match, despite having little understanding of the game's dynamics. Pushing the hedonistic agenda when you are someone that struggles with self-harm is especially paradoxical, but what can I say, Moses saw the promised land he was never going to reach. Anyways this is not an article about hedonism(even though it might sound like it), so take a moment to really think about the things you’re about to read.

The thing is, it always makes me sad when people are super surprised when someone gets committed or commits suicide, and they go ‘he seemed fine’, ‘there were no signs’ and things like that but you see, the things with mental illnesses like any other illnesses is that they have symptoms and while a lot of people that suffer from mental ailings put in effort for it to not be noticed, the symptoms are always there and one of the more easier to tell symptoms is self-harm. Essentially self-harm is a range of intentional behaviour that cause harm or pain to your body and more often left out, to your psyche as a way to cope with difficult emotions or situations. But with the neoawareness runnings, it’s like we are sharing history books because while some people still cut and cause visible bodily harm, the larger forms of evolved self-harm hide in plain sight. Everyday behaviours that are more or less accepted, whose thin line between acceptable and too much is treaded. So with you, I will be delving deeper into its evolution and shedding light on the often-overlooked connection between self-destructive behaviours and common addictions. By exploring this complex relationship, I aim to raise awareness, encourage empathy, and foster understanding surrounding the multifaceted nature of self-harm in our society today. I invite you to contribute your own experiences and observations to this research. Your insights are invaluable, regardless of whether you engage in self-harm consciously or subconsciously, or if you've noticed certain behavioural patterns in your family and friends. By sharing our diverse perspectives, we can cultivate greater awareness

The essential to self-harm is that the pain distracts, but it's not just pain now, it’s a situational distraction most people seek. If I create a bigger problem for myself that I absolutely HAVE to deal with, then I am accurately avoiding dealing with the problems we consider lesser or that we consider too triggering to confront. The most common from my research was addictions, in most cases, addiction just happens, addiction creeps on you and you are left defenceless and the victim, but among my research sampling, these for them by definition was intentional, making sure that they drink every night, making sure they smoke every morning, consciously doing something that they know will cause an addiction that they then have to deal with. They know the effects and yet, actively indulge. Addiction to absolutely anything, from a number that actively engage in meaningless sex to people that self-isolate in the name of gaming that is just borderline too much, extends to affecting performance at school, work or household responsibilities as a result of excessive video game playing. So essentially the forms of addiction that exist especially for people who are aware and indulge anyways, while not a necessary cry for help, are a gateway to mental instability.  

But consider this the introduction to the series; Self Harm. We will explore, with your help the evolution of self-harm and by fostering empathy, compassion, and providing support, we can break free from the cycle of self-destruction and gravitate towards healthier coping mechanisms and a path to recovery. Subscribe to read the next piece; Addictions