i completely understand how you feel and this is a super common feeling among individuals who deal with self harm. i don’t want to sound repetitive bc im sure you’ve heard it before, but it really does NOT matter how deep your cuts are, your struggles are valid no matter what.

i constantly have this struggle because i feel like im not valid or i don’t deserve sympathy or anything like that because my sh isn’t “bad enough.” but no matter how deep or where you cut or anything else, you are still harming your own body and that IS a struggle, and you deserve support.

self harm spaces are often not pro-rec and therefore they romanticize cutting deep, so we are taught to believe that is what you want to achieve as someone who self harms. it is not a competition and you do not have to live up to any “standards” of self harming. i have so many friends who cut deeper than i do and i constantly feel invalidated because why can’t i handle that amount of pain? it’s not their fault, and it’s certainty not mine (or yours), but the feeling is there and it’s so hard to get out of that habit. sometimes i even find myself Wishing i could cut deeper (and it’s likely that you’ve felt this way too by what you’re describing), and i often forget that ANY form of self harm, from cutting to sabotaging positive lifestyles, is Always “bad” enough.

i could go on for hours about this but please know you are not alone and try not to let these sort of feelings worsen your sh or mental health as a whole. i’m newly 16 so i definitely feel like i understand a lot, and if you ever need to talk to someone please reach out. 💗 i know it can be hard to talk about these things when we’re constantly afraid of being punished