How to make Self-harm Hurt Less?

[huftydumdum]

this may sound stupid, because who thinks during cutting or burning on ways to hurt less? it's supposed to hurt.
i really like having deeper gashes on my body, they bleed more, but i hate the initial pain of the blade on my skin. i can't close my eyes and cut, my blades are all jagged and i need to look where i am cutting. i have a low pain tolerance, but i used to cut avidly before i grew inconsistent.
is there a way to limit the pain as i cut deeper, or is it something i'm going to have to tolerate?

 

[hellispink]

As you said , one does it to enjoy the pain. It is unavoidable. The only way it can hurt less that i can think of is maybe a numbing cream a few minutes prior? I dont know you can try it and see. Aside from that nothing else

 

[Tesha]

'Jagged blades' will hurt more as they rip rather than cut cleanly. Can you get hold of sharper blades? If you can, be really careful as they will require less pressure and will likely cut a lot deeper.

Have you considered holding an ice cube instead of cutting? That can give you similar pain / emotional release, but in a safer way.

I'm not encouraging you to self harm, I'm trying to suggest less painful methods. I self harm and it's one of my shittest coping methods; but it helps at the time.

Cutting deep is always going to hurt.

 

[Reuthry]

Well I self harm a lot and I can say that if you don't have a med to make your skin numb, open the tap and let the cold water wash your skin (I mean cold tap water type of cold) for like 5 minutes, not too much, you will feel less pain. But cutting deeper (fat and below) hurts even if you do this water method, and it is dangerous as well I think I once hit a small nerve and damn it was the worst physical pain I have ever experienced.

 

[AboutTom]

I'm afraid that this will sound rude or like I'm flexing, but i mean this as a warning bc i used to be just like you. Take this from someone who has too many scars from burns and cuts to even count them. Once you're in enough mental hell that nothing will feel like anything, you're gonna be praying that sh hurts even a littlebit, and it won't. If it hurts, take the hint and enjoy it that you still have some feeling left in you. It'll stop hurting if you keep going, but that's not a good thing.