Physically Hurting Yourself When Feeling Anxious/Embarrassed

[incense]

Lately when I'm nervous or embarrassed I'll grab my arm and dig my fingernails into my skin. I don't cause any damage. It's almost like the physical discomfort I cause takes away from the emotional discomfort I'm experiencing at the moment.

I'm not a "cutter" and never have been, but I wonder if what I do is similar to that only in a much milder way.

Anyone else do this?

 

[KAnneW]

I do something similar I normally tug at my hair (not hard enough to pull it out just enough to keep my mind grounded.) It makes the anxious feeling dull

 

[JonnyD]

i think it's somewhat like a cutter yes,

i feel bad about it, but i admit that when i feel nervous i have the strong impulse to bite myself, generally i would think it's funny regarding myself, but i think it's sad, because i'm starting to hurt myself and sometimes i do it in public and people think i'm crazy :_(

it started not long about 3 months and i'm trying to stop it for real, and since i'm getting help

if i don't grab my arm and bite , i just "bite my teeth" ,so hard that i can feel my teeth hurting sometimes .

luckly i'm getting help and i'm much better , even stoping that "twitch"

 

[marciaX3]

that's my method of self-harm too, digging my nails into my skin. i've done it pretty bad a few times where i started to break the skin. mostly it happens when i'm overly upset, crying, anxious, had a really bad confrontation, my worst fears are realized, etc. i've noticed it happens when i'm dealing w/ my depression and anxiety at the same time and it's a situation that emotionally upsets me so i just start digging in. i've been trying to keep my nails short for this very reason. honestly, i think it's a much better way of relieving the emotional pain than cutting since it causes less damage, but to me it's just as effective.

 

[Psychedelicious]

Well for one, I bite my lips. I don't even know I am doing it alot of the time though. I bite them to the point that they bleed. Around too weeks ago I had bitten them so much that they turned a brownish color, I know gross! I also bit my nails a lot, and the skin on the sides, so those are always bleeding as well.

I have done the nail digging thing too, but not reall that often. But even though my nails are really really short I still somehow manage to cause damage. I do everything so so hard that it always breaks or makes some sort of damage. I'll also like clench my teeth and jaw really hard to stop them from shaking so much, and it always really hurts at the end of the day. I have so many of these little things, it makes me a mess.

 

[buggy]

yeah I do that to relieve tension. If I'm in a situation with other people and I'm feeling like shit and don't want to show it I just dig my nails deep into my skin so that I can keep a straight face without anyone noticing.

 

[Sacrament]

I peel my lips, but only when I'm at work and find myself bored.

 

[new_mom_09]

I scratch! Scratch my head or back or arm. It's not really noticeable or out of the ordinary... everyone does it, so I don't feel embarrassed.

 

[SilentType]

I bite my lips and fingernails. A lot...

Unintentionally, though....
One time my anxiety (from a visitor to my house) caused me to run upstairs, and on the way I stubbed my pinkie toe on the leg of a chair and I kept running up the stairs. When I reached my bedroom I sat down to look at my foot and, to my surprise, my left pinkie toe was pointing to the left at a complete right angle. The weird thing is, I knew it hurt when I was running up the stairs, but my anxiety was so much more intense that I didn't even look at it until I had reached my "safe place." I ended up going to the hospital 15 minutes later when my mom turned up and saw my disfigured toe and I found out it was broken. I find it so strange that I cared about my anxiety more than a broken toe during this time that my aunt was knocking at my door.

I'm just trying to say that physical pain doesn't even compare to the pain we feel inside from panic attacks. Why intentionally harm yourself and add to that pain? It doesn't make sense...


Peace

 

[nephatitus]

i usually stab my fingers with a finger nail

i even scratched off a layer of skin once on two places on my arm
and now its scarred

 

[asdf]

whenever i get really anxious and embarassed a like to work out till im gonna puke.

a lot healthier than what you guys are talking about, but i still do it to inflict pain on myself.

 

[turtlett]

I dig my nails into my skin too or if I happen to have something in my hand that I can stab myself with (like a pencil), then I stab myself with it, just a little.

 

[nephatitus]

on occasion once every month

i stab myself in the arm with a knife just to inflict pain and to remind myself that i am just as vulnerable as any other human being, it might no be related to anxiety but i dont like to keep some of these really twisted thoughts bottled up

 

[ImNotMyIllness]

I know this is an old thread. But.....I'll pound/beat my chest very hard kind of like a Gorilla. I do this when I'm very Angry.

I don't do this much anymore because I know it can't be good. Especially with how hard I punch my chest.

 

[Flanscho]

Nah, I don't. I'd be worried to lose control of it in the long run. Imagine applying for a job, and then out of nervousness hitting yourself on the head or something like that.

 

[aNOTfox]

Small things like this can lead to more severe forms of self harm.
If you feel you can resist the urge, please do! It's best to stop this while you still can. Self harm is very addictive.
Look for other ways to cope with embarrassing situations- focus on breathing etc.
It may feel like "oh it's just a scratch/pinch" now, but that will escalate if not stopped and will cause more stress and emotional problems.

 

[ShadowCookie]

If I embarrassed myself a lot, after I leave the room, I'll hit myself, not very hard, but I'll feel so angry with myself for being such an idiot!