Today is Self-Injury Awareness Day, which brings awareness to self-injurious behaviors. Self-injury is the intentional act of causing harm to oneself. This behavior is most often seen with adolescents. Signs of self-injury include: parts of the body (often arms, legs, stomach, thighs) show signs of injury such as cuts, bruises, burns, and scabs; covering injured body (wearing long sleeves, jacket, and/or pants in summer); gives excuses for how obtained injury; and changing behaviors (isolating, withdrawn, avoiding activities/friends). If you are engaging in self-injury, talk to someone, and find a therapist who can help you to learn healthy coping skills. If you know someone who engages in self-injury, avoid judging. Listen and offer support, and pass along the following resources.
Resources:
Text CONNECT to 741741 in the United States to speak with a crisis counselor, 24/7
ok2talk.org is a community where teens and young adults, struggling with mental illness, can share personal stories in a creative way.
mindfulnessforteens.com is a website that provides information on how to practice mindfulness.
mood247.com is a website to record daily feelings.
teenmentalhealth.org is a website that offers resources on various mental health issues that teens face.
Mind Shift is a smartphone app designed to help teens with anxiety.
Breathe2Relax is a smartphone app that teaches how to use breathing to relax.
Love yourself as much as you want to be loved— Nino Varsimashvili
4745 Old Road 37, Lakeland, FL
(863) 608-9392
lakelandcounselors@lakelandcounselors.com