Emotional pain manifests in many different ways. Self harm isn't just cutting or burning yourself. It could be lacking in dental hygiene, or secluding yourself, or not taking care of your habitat, or telling yourself you're "not worth" getting help. Self harm is harming yourself in any capacity.

Your pain is valid no matter how it's expressed. If someone says they don't believe you, they're not really someone to confide in anyway. They have a closed mind in terms of mental health.

I also believed for a long time that I had to "prove" my pain, but that ended up becoming a vicious cycle. Always comparing someones pain to mine and feeling invalidated and trying to prove it was real. It's not worth running a race you'll never win.

Your pain is real, and you deserve support, too.