Painless Red Blotches On Tongue

How I can Stop Hurting?

JENNIFER, Jessica and Jael never met, but have much in common. All three suffer from intense anxiety and the three of facing the same way: all seek temporary relief deliberately provoking injury.

Oddly, self harm, which includes cutting and mutilation-is quite among adolescents and young adults. The Canadian newspaper National Post says that this habit "terrified parents, counselors baffles [school] and tests doctors," and also "threatens to become one of the worst addictions known to medicine." Are you or someone you know enslaved to this practice? If so, can you do something?

"I could not control the anxiety. But one day I discovered something that he could control: the physical pain. "Jennifer, 20 .*

" Every time I get angry, rather than mourn, I made cuts. Then I felt better. "Jessica, 17.

"I have about two weeks without hurting myself. Is a long time for me, but I think I will never leave completely. "-Jael, 16.

First of all, try to determine what drives you to get hurt. Remember to cut your sample is not a simple nervousness. In general, it is a tactic to overcome some kind of tension. The person who hurt herself trying to calm the emotional pain caused physical pain. So ask yourself: "What I intend to hurt me? What am I thinking when I feel the urge to cut? ". It is possible that a certain situation in your life, perhaps related to your family or your friends, you are distressing.

course, made a similar self requires great courage on your part, but the effort is worthwhile. This is usually the first step to abandon the practice. However, it takes more than just find the roots of the problem.

Tell someone

If you've fallen prey to this habit, it would be advisable to tell a mature friend you trust. True biblical proverb says: "The concerns do not let people be happy, but the words of encouragement bring you joy "(Proverbs 12:25, The Word of God for all). If you entrust your problem to someone else, you'll be able to hear the comforting words and kind you need (Proverbs 25:11).

But with whom should you speak? Should you choose someone older than you, it is sensible, mature and compassionate. Fortunately, Christians have the elders of his congregation are "like a hiding place from the wind and concealment from the rainstorm, like streams of water in arid country, like the shadow of a heavy crag in an exhausted land" (Isaiah 32 : 2).

course, it may scare you the idea to tell your secret to someone else. Maybe you go as Sarah, who admits: "At first I took my problem to trust someone. I thought that if people discovered what it was really, was out on me with hatred and contempt. " But when he did, to see for himself how true are the words of Proverbs 18:24: "There exists a friend sticking closer than a brother." Sara says: "The mature fellow Christians with whom I spoke never reproached me anything, whatever he told them of my habit of purposely hurt me. Instead, they offered practical recommendations. They used the Bible to reason with me and comforted me when I was discouraged and despicable. "

Why do not you confess to someone you have that habit? If you think you could not tell anyone personally, try to do so by letter or telephone. This step can be a step towards your recovery. Jennifer acknowledges the following: "What helped me most was knowing that I had someone who cared about me and when I saw who could go all black."

The importance of prayer

Laura was at a standstill. On the one hand, he realized that he needed God's help. But on the other hand, believed that he would not give it to her to stop hurting yourself on purpose. How did this situation? One important thing that helped was to meditate on the text of 1 Chronicles 29:17, where Jehovah God is called the "examiner's heart." "At the bottom of my heart, I wanted to stop cut, and the Lord knew," says Laura. "When I started to pray for help, the result was extraordinary. Little by little I was getting stronger. "

The psalmist David, who was not an easy life, wrote:" Throw your burden upon Jehovah himself, and he himself will sustain you " (Psalm 55:22). Indeed, the Lord not only knows what you're suffering, but also "is interested in [you]" (1 Peter 5:7). If your own heart condemns you, remember that God is "greater than [your] heart and knows all things." In fact, he understands why you hurt and why it costs so much abandon that habit (1 John 3:19, 20). But if you approach him in prayer and you strive to stop, you'll see how it meets the following promise: "Truly I help you" (Isaiah 41:10).

What if you suffer a relapse? Does that mean you've failed completely? Of course not! Proverbs 24:16 reads: "Maybe the fall just seven times, and certainly will rise." Alluding to the biblical verse, Laura admits: "I relapsed more than seven times, but I gave up." In his view, persistence is essential. Karen thinks the same thing: "I learned to see each relapse as a small temporary setback and not a failure. I also realized that I had to start over as many times as necessary. "

Sometimes you need other help

Jesus recognized that "those who are evil" certainly "medical need" (Mark 2:17). In many cases, you may have to resort to a competent professional to determine whether the practice of self-harm lurks another type of disorder, and then prescribe a treatment. ^ Jennifer decided to receive such aid to supplement the loving support of superintendents, or elderly Christians. "It is true that the elderly are not doctors but have been very understanding," he says. Occasionally I still go really wanted to hurt me, but I could dominate with the help of the Lord and the congregation, and the techniques I have learned to cope with stress. "

** Rest assured that you can learn to cope with problems in ways more productive than hurting. Make the same request that the psalmist: "Fix my own steps solidly in what you said, and not me dominated dominion over any kind of bad thing" (Psalm 119:133). When you get rid of the clutches of this practice, you will definitely feel happy about yourself and regain your self-esteem.

TO THINK
When you're grieving, what can you do instead of hurting?
Who should tell your habit to hurt you on purpose?

More articles from the "Young People Ask" in www.watchtower.org / yps