I'm replying to this to ask you to read my full reply, and to point out to you that I did mention whether or not a scar can be tattooed over is conditional. I do not want misinformation to be spread. Thank you.
I am autistic, so I am going to say this bluntly, but please do not take offence from this - I truly mean the best.
Your comment is very black and white. You gave entirely definitive answers, stating that so-and-so is the way things are going to be, no matter what. I do not believe that's true, nor helpful. For example; "It comes naturally to those that just do it […] I'm sure you didn't ask for tips."
In my case, when I was 11-13, I was manipulated into it. It did not come naturally to me. The person who taught me how held 'competitions' between myself, him and my now ex-partner, and would consistently goad us into more and more destructive forms of self-harm that neither of us had heard about, let alone considered.
"You will hate [your scars] and won't be able to cover them."
This may be true for you, but not for everybody. Maybe this person does not hate their scars. I hate to focus this on my experience, but to speak from the knowledge I have, one of my best friends has come to terms with his scars. Another one of my best friends likes theirs - to her they're a reminder of his strength, and that she can recover on their own. It is different for anybody, and I simply ask you to acknowledge that.
Tattooing over self-harm scars is possible. Again, it varies for each person, but if you find the right artist you may be able to work something out. Sometimes the scar cannot be tattooed over, but it is not always the case.
On a more uplifting note, I do heavily commend you on recommending distraction! It is an extremely helpful technique. Sometimes just taking time to attempt diverting focus onto something else can work wonders.
I don't reply often to quoted messages (much) but I thought I would, to add some clarity, and leave it at that, because I feel like I'm repeating myself here.
That was perceived completely wrong, that is definitely not what was said, nor implied. But that's absolutely fine if you want to perceive it that way - everyone has their own ways of looking at things. I'm not easily offended, so it's fine :-) and even if I was, that would be my issue - some are more sensitive that others, and that's ok
Correct. Like I said previously, not all tattoos can be tattooed over, it is a fact. I didn't say all can't (as your comment "self harm scars can be tattooed over. It is possible") implies - I said 'sometimes', and that certainly doesn't mean all, does it? Once again, sometimes the skin is too thin - I have literally spoken to tattoo artists about this - and I know of people that have that issue, and as a result they only have half of their scars tattooed over. I was luck enough not to have that problem.
OK, but we're not talking about someone being forced to do something are we? We are talking about someone asking how to hurt themselves (with methods and to 'be creative') - that was the actual question, there is absolutely no comparison.
The things I've done to myself I haven't heard of, but it's literally because I wanted to hurt myself? If you really want to hurt yourself, you find a way? Quite literally any form of pain, or mark on yourself is a form of self harm - or even self destructive behaviours like risky sex, binge eating, doing stupid things that you'd never normally do - the list is endless. Perhaps you don't realise self harm comes in various forms, but it does.
Yes, but that's not the case for the majority of people, is it? It is a reminder of how mentally unwell you were at the time, and not everyone wants to be reminded of that horrific time in their life. In my opinion, that would be like getting a tattoo of a traumatic event (I mean a tattoo of the literal event) - there is a reason why people cut themselves - it is not a sign of strength, it is a sign of how much pain you were in.
The distraction thing is relatively new to me, I've been doing it for years, but not anywhere near as much as I do now. It's helped me so much, and has stopped me from killing myself and focusing on shit I don't need to, so that's positive :-) it does take a lot of time though, and effort - and plenty of blips in the road. To try and try, and keep trying is key, but that's like anything really - it's about trying to change your mindset, which is SO hard, but it is possible. I would recommend trying it at least.
I wish you all the best with whatever your future holds :-)
sanctioned-suicide.net
