How they discuss self-harm.
Please understand that self-harm is never something that should be seen to be fixed, but something to come back from. You are not alone in your mental health and there is always support available to you.
This website opens up to a page with messages like ‘You are not alone’, which when I was reading, made me understand that this was a safe space for me and many other young people looking for support. The site allows you to select whether you are a ‘young person’, a ‘parent’ or if you ‘work with young people’. This tailors the individuals’ experience, suitable to whatever kind of support they may be looking for, and what is available to them.
Under the ‘young person’ sector there is a ‘My Feelings’ page, which then provides you with further links to other pages of the website, one of which being about self-harm.
The page carefully explains what exactly self-harm is and the effects it has. I found comfort in the way the information/advice is given in a way that makes you feel understood in what you are going through and what you are trying to gain from reading it.
On the page there is a list of different things that may be considered as self-harm. I thought this was good as it could help a young person to understand what they may be doing, and to suggest reasons on why they are doing it. This is crucial as in situations like this it can be hard to comprehend what is actually going on.
A story titles ‘Charlottes Blog: My story of self-harm recovery’. My story of self-harm recovery | YoungMinds I think this is definitely worth a read to anyone who may be struggling with anything discussed. Reading a story from the perspective of someone of a similar age, who has gone through a similar thing, can cause a great feeling of comfort, to those who may feel they are alone in their situation.
The page goes on to give much more great advice around this possibly sensitive topic, and I would most certainly recommend it.
Whilst giving a rather different perspective of self-harm, the Young Peoples Blog self-harm page is definitely another I would recommend.
The way this website talks about self-harm, is in a way that does not make you feel judged or embarrassed, which can be common feelings, when opening up about something like this.
The page provides you with options to further pages. One of these is ‘Personal Stories’. This gives you multiple different views of people who have/do struggle with self-harm. I found this interesting as it allows a reader to relate to different perspectives of the topic, meaning they can find something to perhaps relate to.
Another option is ‘Distractions and Coping Techniques’. This is such an important thing for a website like this to have, as is provides young people who do self-harm or are considering doing so, with alternative ways of dealing with their emotions. The distractions given include things like having a bath or playing a game you enjoy or writing your thoughts etc. These options are great as they provide someone with a way of delaying their self-harm urges, or possibly avoiding it all together!
I really liked how this website talks about self-harm in such a careful way. It does not tell anyone they have to stop or make them feel ashamed; it simply provides someone with alternatives and information about what they are going through, that they may not have known before.
I really recommend both of the Young Minds website in order to give anyone comfort in time of need, and encourage you to seek help when you need it.
Daily Bean is an App that can be used by Young People aged 14+ to help record their daily feelings and emotions
Researched and written by Ava, aged 14 whilst on work experience with the Young Carers service within Suffolk Family Carers.
