During our research, we spoke with individuals providing support for another individual who also had personal experiences of self-harm. For some, providing support had been challenging alongside their own difficulties:
“I found it really overwhelming…I was going through quite a lot myself at that time and because I was also worrying about my friend, I did struggle if I’m honest”
For others, providing support had allowed them to feel as though they had someone else who understood what was going on for them:
“It’s really bizarre, but I think that it helps to have that person, because you know that they know exactly how you are feeling.”
It had also resulted in some individuals stopping self-harm, due to seeing the impact it had on the individual who they were supporting:
“It actually gave me insight into what it was like to be on the other side of things, and that’s actually what resulted in my own self-harm stopping…”
There is no right or wrong way to feel or react in this situation, but the most important thing is ensuring that you are looking after yourself. If you are supporting a friend or family member and feeling as though you need support within this role, or support for your own self-harm (see below), we have put together some resources that may be helpful for you.
Support for you
Several individuals expressed feelings of distress or needing someone to turn to when providing support for someone else.
We have put together a list of resources where you can access support during these times:
- Mind
- Samaritans (available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year) – 116 123, jo@Samaritans.org
- SANEline (4:30pm-10:30pm every day) – 0300 304 7000
- Young Minds Parents Helpline (9:30am to 4pm on weekdays) – 0808 802 5544
We have also put together a list of apps aimed at helping manage self-harm. If you are looking for more general apps aimed at self-care or your role as a supporter, please see here.
Have we missed any?
Let us know if you can recommend any other resources for us to share with our users – contact us.
Top Tips
- In order to be able to support others, the most important thing is to ensure that you are also looking after yourself & your well-being.
- Providing support for self-harm can be particularly challenging alongside personal experiences too. If you feel as though things are becoming too much or impacting on your mental health – try and speak to someone to ensure that you are also getting the support you need.