LifeSIGNS

a letter to my parents

dear mom and dad

i’m sorry. i know that you’re trying your hardest, but it does not remove the fact you’ve hurt me. you may not understand what you’ve done, but it has hurt me extremely emotionally. i have self harmed for years, but i am terrified to tell you.

i want help. i need help, because i want to stop. i want to manage this, and i want to get better, but i am so terrified of you turning me away or saying that i am overreacting. my awareness of my mental problems is not an obsession. it has never been. this letter is not built off obsession or delusion, this is a real thing and i cannot deny it forever. i don’t want to keep hiding, i want to come out. i want to show the world im capable but at the moment i need help and support to do that.

this is not attention seeking. if it was, you would’ve known far before this point. the Band-Aids on my body from “accidentally” knocking into things or clumsy mistakes were never unintentional. i’m sorry i lied to you for so long but i believed it’d be safer.

i’m sorry i could not be the child you may have been prepared to deal with, but i am here now. there is no way to simply remove me from your lives. i want you to know that i love you both and this is why i am opening up. this is not me being weak, it is me being strong enough to accept my weakness and try to grow better.

i do not know if ill be able to send this letter. it sits in a notepad waiting for something to happen, and i do not know if it will ever get sent to you directly, but i hope one day i will get that courage. i want to become stronger. i will become stronger.

sincerely, your son. 

————————————

An anonymous submission.

creativehoarders:

Things change. Accept change and grow, you’re a flower.

Even if ‘things’ don’t change, you do. Give it time, give yourself time - small steps forward are enough. Keep going.

Shout out to the amazing Nige who is running a marathon to raise money for LifeSIGNS!

If you would like to support LifeSIGNS and Nige please donate at: http://justgiving.lifesigns.org.uk/ 

What good is an awareness day? What about tomorrow?

Today is SIAD which stands for Self Injury Awareness Day. But what does it mean to raise awareness, and what happens tomorrow? 

Read more: http://www.lifesigns.org.uk/2018/03/what-good-is-an-awareness-day-what-about-tomorrow/

Want more information on self injury? Watch our video!

Thank you for your donations →

A massive thank you to everyone who has donated to LifeSIGNS, whether as a direct donation or by buying a wristband / key ring.

As an unfunded organisation, we rely entirely on your support and generosity to keep us going. We couldn’t do this without you.

Thank you very much indeed.

What distraction techniques do you use to avoid self-injury? We have plenty of suggestions http://www.lifesigns.org.uk/help/ but are always listening out for fresh ideas.

takecare-bewell:

March 1st: Self-Injury Awareness Day

no more shame
no more fighting alone
no more blame
no more doing it on your own

no more closed doors
no more secrets hidden
no more internal wars
speaking up about self-injury
it’s not forbidden

so let’s talk
no more (si)lence

lifesigns:

One of those cute little magnets can be yours for a couple of quid - great for radiators, fridges, and pencil tins.

Raise awareness, raise funds. Thank you for your support.

takecare-bewell:

@lifesigns i don’t have a colour printer, but i tried to improvise and added my university’s counseling services number (: thanks for the incredible poster design!

Today is Self-Injury Awareness Day 2018!

No more (si)lence 

Today is Self-Injury Awareness Day, what do you want to talk about?

Conversations about self-injury, mental health and emotional well-being in general can be difficult have - whether the conversation is about you or about a loved one. However, these difficult conversations are incredibly important and crucial in breaking the silence and stigma. 

No one deserves to suffer in (si)lence

So much is behind self injury — low self-esteem, body issues, trauma, bullying, abuse, depression, anxiety, even financial stress. Yet loved ones often focus on only the self-injury… We need better conversations about emotional health.

No more (si)lence 

We’re recruiting!

The role-holder should understand the fast-paced social medium, and understand the importance of tone, frequent posts, and repetition and variation of message. Working with our Social Media Manager, the role holder will share and promote our content and campaigns, and create original textual content and image content. The review process for original content can take a couple of days, and so the role holders needs to understand and respect our brand and quality standards, considering the audiences we’re serving and the organisation we wish to maintain and grow. Role might need five hours a week, but you manage your own time and workload, and are always supported.

To find out more visit us at: http://www.lifesigns.org.uk/recruitment/ 

We support #UniMentalHealthDay - it has to become easier to talk about difficult, personal, topics. Join the thunderclap: thndr.me/fiSCPV http://thndr.me/fiSCPV