You may be going through something
really tough at the moment. It may even be
hard to read these words because you are hurting
inside. You may feel so lonely that you are
driven to anger and frustration – or
beyond it. But hope and help are not as far
away as it may seem.
There are all sorts of negative things that
people do in response to the situations they
find themselves in. Maybe you are angry or
worried, so you hit out at something or someone,
or it could be that you are incredibly tense
and want a way out. You might feel alone,
or neglected, as if no one is really there
for you.
One thing some people do when they feel like
this is to harm themselves in some way. The
problem with this is that it can leave them
feeling worse. You may be hurting yourself.
And you might not know why you are doing it.
Chat
The problem is that our bodies can be a bit
of a liar. If we hurt ourselves, the body
actually tries to mask the pain by releasing
something called ‘endorphins’.
We know that these chemicals are addictive
and can make people want to harm themselves
again – to feel the same feeling. The
result of this is that hurting yourself can
become physically and mentally addictive.
These endorphins confuse the body into thinking
that it is still functioning normally, even
when it isn’t. And so hurting yourself
is dangerous and damaging.
Only you and God know how you feel right now.
Even if you see no way out, there is one.
You don’t have to hurt yourself any
longer. Remember that God delights in who
you are. He loves you passionately with a
love that cannot be measured, changed or spoilt.
He thinks you are amazing. He understand that
you don’t love yourself the way He wants
you to, but He wants you to learn (Read Psalm
139 to see what God thinks of you).
Options/Help lines
Self-Harm Alliance
– www.selfharmalliance.org
explains what self-harm is and how to get
more info and help.
Part of the Big
Issues series from Spring Harvest
Written by Robin Rolls and Ems Hancock.
