For me, self harm is something I do to get the feeling of pain and release. I'm easily addicted to the feeling of hurting myself and I know it's not healthy. So, as someone who's studying biology, I wanted to look at this from a more scientific perspective. If you're into science as well, please keep reading!

Self harm releases the horses adrenaline and cortisol. These are strong emotions that commonly come with feelings of stress and "fight or flight". I've found these are the hormones im addicted to. Unfortunately that's what mental illnesses do to you and a lot of people who suffer with kinds of mental illnesses have that addiction like i do. That feeling of fear, anxiety, and stress is just so intoxicating for me and I've observed it outside of harming myself as well.

When I go on horror movie binges, the need to go on the highest rollercoasters, or even going down an internet rabbit hole to find disturbing or even gory images. All of those things also realse those same hormones, adrenaline and cortisol.

Now that we know what causes that feeling we get from self harm, what do we do now? It's not like we can just go on a dollar coaster whenever we are feeling urges. That's when a little more research comes in. What are some other, easier activities that also release those hormones? Good news! I made a list.

Adrenaline fixes: - Cardio - Virtual reality games - Dance party (Just Dance videos) - Scary movies - Horror video games

Cortisol fixes: - Talking to strangers - Doing more things outside or in public spaces - Cold exposure - Intermediate fasting - Competition of any kind - Time pressure - Spicy food - Exploring unfamiliar places

Both: - High intensity interval workouts (HIIT) - Puzzles and brain games

I recently had a relapse and it's been really hard but I'm doing my best and I hope you are too. I know this guide won't click with everyone, but I hope it helps give light to more alternatives to self harm that they didn't know before!