New here

Hi @Kel7, welcome to the forums. It's exciting, albeit anxiety-provoking, that you have a job interview tomorrow. It sounds like you have only recently started self harming, although you have been struggling with anxiety and depression for a couple of years, is that right? Have you been able to share with anyone your struggle around self harm (SH) - a GP or psychologist perhaps? I know a lot of people find distraction techniques helpful when they are working at not engaging in SH - things like taking a bath, listening to music, doing housework, hanging around here on the forums . I SH, but I'm ok with this fact so personally it isn't something I work particularly hard at not doing. However, if I do for some reason want to abstain from doing it, I find one of the best things is holding icecubes - it provides a very intense and unpleasant sensation which has the same calming effect for me as SHing.

All the very best with the interview tomorrow and I hope to see you around here on the forums. Just one thing...you signed off your post with a name. I know anonymity is a very important part of the forums here so I'm not sure if that is your real name or not. I know I have sometimes gone to sign off with my name and then remembered not to just in time, so I thought I'd just point this out.

Hi @Kel7

Welcome to the forums 🙂 it's great to see you here, event hough im sorry that its at a time when things are not so great. I have struggled in similar ways to you and there arent any easy fixes but people do get through these things Glad you've been getting help! Have you been able to tell them about what's been happening lately for you re the set back/self harming? I found it ... very difficult to talk about but was very surprised that it was only compassionate support and helpful advice that came from it. I think its something that we use when things are pretty bad, and just stopping without somthing else to help us cope is almost impossible. So i try to switch it for something that helps. so instead of getting the relief from self harming I will try to do soemthing else that will help, like listen to music that is calming, colour a picture, or eat some chocolate (i know!! not healthy either!). for me self harming only helped for a short time anyway so i was able to tell myself that these other things were just as good for that short time (ok almost as good sometimes!).

Wishing you all the best for you interview tomorrow! stand tall 🙂

good luck

lj

Hi Kel7

It seems to be tomorrow already so how did you go with the job interview?

I too avoid talking to family. I just don't know what to say that doesn't make me seem like such a sad case. Besides, I don't really want to hear all the well-meaning (but obvious yet not really useful) things they are likely to say. Maybe that isn't a good enough reason tho...

Let us know how you went with the interview - good, bad...?

🙂

I am also eagerly waiting to hear how the interview went @Kel7. I super hope it went ok.

Hi All 🙂

@Kel7 thanks for th update, sounds like that was a suprse to hear they had called for a reference check, you must have impressed them. Fingers crossed for you.

I wondered if you had seen this articile on SH and self care, it can be found here

Hope everyone has a good night.

Good luck with the job @Kel7 Reference check is a good sign. *fingers crossed*