What You Should Really Know About Self-Harm

Here is what you should really know about self-harm: It isn’t just physical.

Actually, most of the harm we cause to our bodies is internal damage. If you think about it, nobody just randomly starts to cut themselves or inflict any other physical pain upon themselves. There is actually a whole heck of a lot of self-inflicting damage we cause ourselves way before any physical hurt.

The wounds are a lot deeper than a fresh cut because there are years of damaging thoughts we think about ourselves. We view ourselves as unworthy of love and unimportant to society. Maybe it’s a negative mindset about our worth in our business or our relationships. Maybe we don’t think positively about our appearance. Whatever the case may be, self-harm always begins with inner damage first.

Where TRUE Damage Comes From

And while most people who think negatively about themselves don’t cause any actual physical harm to themselves, our minds are highly susceptible to damaging thoughts. When we are constantly focused on tearing ourselves apart it’s hards to truly distinguish the truth from the lies. What you should really know about self-harm is that our minds are powerful tools. And if we aren’t taking care of our thoughts, we easily turn to self-destruction.

The way we speak, act, think, talk etc carries a lot of weight when it comes to our inner beings. If you are solely focused on negative emotions and tearing yourself down, even as a “joke” your brain isn’t capable of understanding the difference. Our inner self-talk truly determines how we view ourselves throughout the day.

If the words we speak carry weight, imagine how heavy our thoughts must be.

That is why it is so urgent and necessary that you take the time to do the inner work it takes to love yourself. Maybe that looks like seeking counseling and therapy. It’s not shameful to talk to someone about your struggles. Whether that’s a pastor you can trust or a trained physician, seek to have others speak truth into you as well. Or maybe that looks like a close friend, a family member, or a spouse. Actively choose every single day to have others speak truth into your existence and remind you of your worth.

Choose Life and Choose Love

Maybe that means taking 15 minutes every morning before you start your day to outwardly love yourself. Say all the things you love about yourself. Focus on your strengths. Look in the mirror and say, “I love myself today. There may be things that are not in my control but I can control my thoughts. And today I choose to think about life. I choose life for myself today.”

Whatever that looks like for you, choose love. Choose to love yourself every single day. Today, I want you to choose life. I want you to make it a point to love yourself in a way that you have never even fathomed before. Instead of focusing on past mistakes, start focusing on a promising future full of life and grace. Instead of inflicting self-harm internally, speak out into existence your true worth.

*This week, Cody and I sit down and share our thoughts on what it means to truly self-harm. What you should know about self-harm is that inflicting physical pain is only an outward expression of a deeper issue. You can find our latest episode here.

We want you to choose life today. Whether that means putting down the razor or taking your negative thoughts captive, we want you to walk in life. You are so much more worthy than you realize. You are lovable, you are beautiful, you are unique and you are purposed. We welcome you to start walking in that truth today.