Hey! Fellow self harmer here! I haven’t self harmed in years, but I used to hit myself too. I also self harm in other ways in forms of self sabatoge. The journey to healing is slow sometimes unfortunately. I don’t know if you have spotify, but what I do now when I get into the headspace where I self harmed is to put some angry music on and do something to release the energy. Honestly the angrier the better. Find some music that speaks into what you’re going through. Citizen Soldier is a good band that’s all about mental health. When my anger is bubbling over, I put metal on, go outside and physically release energy through exercise, or create disturbing art by scribbling my emotions on a page. After I feel the cathartic release, I wind down and chill. I’ll put on some positive music or stuff I like and relax into a more positive energy. In my experience it took time for me to get through what I was going through. Maybe find your own healthy way of cathartic release. The important part is to recognize when the catharsis is done and it’s time to relax and set boundaries for your time of peace. Self harm is definitely addicting because of the endorphins and everything else involved with it. Maybe channel that emotion into something less harmful. It took me time to get through it and I don’t judge anybody for doing what they need to in order to survive the complexity of our minds. Next time you want to self harm, try putting on some cathartic music and let your mind go there. There’s better days ahead, I promise.