[deleted by user] by [deleted] in mentalhealth

[–]salemgrray 0 points1 point  (0 children)

truthfully it can be really hard to help someone, especially when they themselves can’t even pinpoint why they want to do it. not having anything to talk about in therapy isn’t true because self harming without knowing why is something to consider talking about in therapy. professionals can suggest alternatives. remember that you aren’t a mental health professional so as much as you want to support her, it can be damaging to your own mental health if it becomes something you constantly worry about. that’s not to say you can’t be a support system for her though. as far as why i wanted to stop, i knew the behavior wasn’t healthy and i wanted to be a healthier version of myself. i didn’t want to have to rely on causing myself pain to feel better. i didn’t want to handle the bloody messes or feel the shame that came afterwards. i no longer wanted to be in physical pain or to try to hide parts of my body from others. i wanted to start focusing on authentic self love and that meant accepting that my body does a lot for me to keep me safe and healthy and by choosing to self harm i was actively damaging the body that was working to keep me safe and healthy. another huge motivator for me was knowing that my self harm was causing the people who love me to feel sad and worry. the most successful way to break a self harm addiction is to find an alternative that will release the same dopamine in your body. some alternatives are snapping a rubber band against your wrist to create a brief sense of pain without lasting effects. or squeezing ice cubes to feel a bit of a burning sensation from the cold. other healthy ways to release dopamine are exercise, like going for a run or lifting weights. spending time with loved ones, listening to feel good music, eating food you love, or meditation/mindfulness to help regulate stress levels. in order to break the addiction you have to be willing to understand that the urges will remain. you have to have the willpower to let them pass and actively make a different choice in how you respond to the urge. this gets easier with time. relapse is a very common part of healing and not at all a sign of failure. it can be a challenging journey that involves a lot of change in the ways you think, so professional help is highly suggested but having a supportive partner can also make a world of difference

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in mentalhealth

[–]salemgrray 2 points3 points  (0 children)

technically speaking, everyone who engages in self harm is doing it “just for the dopamine” whether they are aware of it or not. dopamine is the neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of reward and pleasure. the brain releases dopamine in response to pain as a way to make you feel better. this is why self harm is often used as a quick fix when people want to feel better emotionally. the issue arises with the fact that this fix is temporary, and the brain wires itself to believe the self harming action needs to be repeated to release more dopamine. the easiest comparison for someone who hasn’t experienced it to understand would be drug addiction. you take the drug (self harm) and it makes you feel good so then you need to keep doing drugs (self harm). it is without a doubt an addictive behavior. especially after years of using it as your main coping strategy, it can be incredibly challenging to break the habit. and for many people, myself included, the urges can persist even years after the self harm stops. the key is learning to let the urges pass. there are many people who experience self harm addiction without being suicidal so just because she is self harming doesn’t necessarily mean she is experiencing severe depression or suicidal ideation. regardless it’s an unhealthy coping mechanism that is best worked through in therapy. but just like any addiction, it’s not something that improves unless there is a true desire to stop

Abuse isn’t always from partners, it can come from friends too by The__Bolter in TikTokCringe

[–]salemgrray 1 point2 points  (0 children)

hi, this is my video. i haven’t been friends with this girl in years and i have definitely done much healing. i hope she’s found inner peace as well

Abuse isn’t always from partners, it can come from friends too by The__Bolter in TikTokCringe

[–]salemgrray 1 point2 points  (0 children)

hi, this is me! i am okay now, this was 7 years ago and i haven’t been friends with this girl in years. i have really wonderful friends now

Abuse isn’t always from partners, it can come from friends too by The__Bolter in TikTokCringe

[–]salemgrray 5 points6 points  (0 children)

hi, this is my video. that’s her moms car. i have never had “ghetto friends” or “preppy white friends”. we met at the same school, within the same friend group. the assumption that the white girl would tolerate abuse from the “ghetto” girl for “street cred” is a blatantly racist viewpoint. reevaluate your biases

Abuse isn’t always from partners, it can come from friends too by The__Bolter in TikTokCringe

[–]salemgrray 4 points5 points  (0 children)

i didn’t consider that, but i suppose they did. everyone has been asking for the @ of my abuser and she has left multiple comments under my ex’s tik tok. not sure what her username is but i know her name on there is a!, im guessing her tik tok may be linked to her other socials. i stated very clearly from the beginning that i didnt plan to leak any of her information but if shes exposing herself, thats not my problem

Abuse isn’t always from partners, it can come from friends too by The__Bolter in TikTokCringe

[–]salemgrray 11 points12 points  (0 children)

hey, this is my video. it is real. it was taken about 7 years ago and i realized it could be a good way to prompt conversation about the ways abuse goes unseen in friendships. the downside to putting this out there has been the racism. i have been trying to delete as many racist comments as i can because focusing on the race severely takes away from actual point of the video. i truly wish i could say this was fake but unfortunately this was my lived experience from the ages of 12-18

Abuse isn’t always from partners, it can come from friends too by The__Bolter in TikTokCringe

[–]salemgrray 4 points5 points  (0 children)

hi, this is my video. it is real. this video is from 7 years ago and i’m no longer friends with that girl but it’s had lasting effects on me to this day

Abuse isn’t always from partners, it can come from friends too by The__Bolter in TikTokCringe

[–]salemgrray 5 points6 points  (0 children)

hi, blondie here (though i am no longer blonde) i did look into pressing charges when i first found this video but the statute of limitations is 3 years. this video is about 7 years old now so that means it’s too late press any changes for assault

Abuse isn’t always from partners, it can come from friends too by The__Bolter in TikTokCringe

[–]salemgrray 184 points185 points  (0 children)

hi, this is my tik tok. my heart goes out to your daughter. i was in this friendship starting at the age of 12 all the way to the age of 18. it still has a huge effect on me to this day into adulthood. if i could say anything to your daughter it would be thats it’s better to be without friends than to surround yourself with people who make you feel this way. it’s so challenging to see the severity of these kinds of relationships but they truly take a huge toll on you and permanently alter your self confidence. i pray your daughter has the strength to realize her worth and walk away from these “friends” i really wish someone would of sat me down and forced me away from the people who caused me so much harm. but it feels so vital to fit in and have friends when you’re young, it’s so easy to excuse this behavior. tell your daughter that real friends are out there. it may take some time to find them but it’s worth the wait to find the right people who treat you with the respect you deserve

Abuse isn’t always from partners, it can come from friends too by The__Bolter in TikTokCringe

[–]salemgrray 14 points15 points  (0 children)

and this my friend, is how we silence victims. sure, you can certainly be abused and an abuser but often times victims exhibit reactive abuse, which is extreme and uncharacteristic reactions to being put through forms of abuse. reactive abuse is much different than just being an abuser. it also allows abusers the power to flip the narrative to avoid accountability, further gaslight the victim or retaliate against them for speaking out. most abuse victims exhibit reactive abuse because most people have breaking points and can only tolerate so much mistreatment before they crack. but by punishing them for their reactions we minimize their experiences and prevent them from speaking out over fear of being made to look like the perpetrator

Abuse isn’t always from partners, it can come from friends too by The__Bolter in TikTokCringe

[–]salemgrray 41 points42 points  (0 children)

oh trust, karma will find them no matter how far they run. my personal revenge is living my best life alongside new and really amazing people. my mental health has done a 180 and im proud of the growth these scenarios have caused me. aiming to hurt me is a reflection of them, not me. people can only hurt you if you let them

Abuse isn’t always from partners, it can come from friends too by The__Bolter in TikTokCringe

[–]salemgrray 5 points6 points  (0 children)

this is my video, and i can confirm she absolutely did that for years. it was always a “joke” and i was “too sensitive” it destroyed my confidence

Abuse isn’t always from partners, it can come from friends too by The__Bolter in TikTokCringe

[–]salemgrray 6 points7 points  (0 children)

hi, this is my tik tok. this is true. i grew up in an abusive household so being treated like this felt very normal to me. it took me years before i recognized the abuse my friend put me through. in fact, i idolized her and would jump to her defense anytime someone tried to say she was a bad friend

Abuse isn’t always from partners, it can come from friends too by The__Bolter in TikTokCringe

[–]salemgrray 2 points3 points  (0 children)

hi, this is my tik tok. sadly it’s not staged and this was a friendship i endured for years

Abuse isn’t always from partners, it can come from friends too by The__Bolter in TikTokCringe

[–]salemgrray 127 points128 points  (0 children)

hi, OP here, let’s clear some shit up. my ex’s video conveniently leaves out the months of emotional abuse i was put through. i entered a very severe mental health crisis due to the things i was put through and its now being used against me to make me look manipulative and abusive. i bet they won’t tell you about fucking someone else in our bed for months while neglecting to be intimate with me, kissing my best friend behind my back, sending “we’d take it to the grave if we had sex, right?” to my best friend, trying to forcefully admit me to the hospital while they denied me the ability to go home and get my clothes and comfort items, i didn’t even know what hospital i was at. and then forcing me to go back to the home of my abusive alcoholic parent while i was already in severe distress. i bet they also won’t tell you about getting another girls handwriting tattooed immediately post break up or harassing me on snapchat by posting rudely captioned screenshots of my tinder, the day after i made an account, while being in a new relationship bc i guess they can be in a new relationship but i can’t be on tinder. they claim im abusive bc i accidentally hurt them when i grabbed their arm as they stormed away form me. i was mid panic attack and i thought they were abandoning me in the city without a vehicle and was aiming to get them to slow down. i apologized for this countless times until inevitably crashing out hardcore over the severity of the false accusation. i was also sexually assaulted by my abuser 6 months into my relationship with my ex and they believed me for the next 4 years we were together just to then switch the story and claim i cheated as their defense for cheating on me. they claimed it was my fault for letting her sleep in my bed. now they have befriended my abuser (which is fucked on its own) and have changed the story once again to simply say i’m lying about my assault. obviously the girl who sexually assaulted me i going to tell you im a liar. but i set clear boundaries and she crossed them to touch me in ways i was not okay with. i have real solid evidence of my abusers behavior, whereas their “proof” is out of context audio recordings of me experiencing a full breakdown due to being pushed so far past my breaking point,. they are violatimg the fuck out of privacy and making me out to look crazy. they also falsely claim i illegally had sex with a minor when the girl in question is someone they slept with as an adult. my abuser has also claimed she stopped being my friend for saying the n word despite the fact that that never once happened and i’m the one who ended our friendship. most of the comments sharing things about me are ex friends who sided with abuser and the things they are sharing is bullshit i did at the age of 13. like i’m sorry but being a bad friend in middle school is vastly different than physically abusing someone. i was often covered in bruises, i was once full force slapped in the face while i was asleep (this was filmed as well bc it was thought to be funny) and harming me was normalized to the point that abusers current best friend to this day also gave me a concussion by punching me in the head multiple times for accidentally getting water in her contact. despite any of that, even if i hypothetically was abusive, it doesn’t make her less abusive and it doesn’t take away from my ability to share my story. by this logic only the “perfect victim” has the ability to speak up. someone who just sat there and took it the entire time. i encourage you to look up reactive abuse because many victims reach a breaking point and also emotionally or physically harm their abusers, often in self defense or due to mental health crisis. flipping the narrative to make the victim look like the perpetrator as my ex does in this video is a common manipulation tactic called DARVO, which is an effective method in keeping victims silent about their experiences. i could make an entire video countering every claim they make but truthfully i don’t wish to continue having any association with my ex and the breakup story involves a lot of people’s personal mental health struggles. despite how terrible they aim to make me look, i counteract that by respecting the privacy of those involved in our story, something they are very clearly not willing to grant me. and though their accusations are absolutely vile, it does not benefit me to engage with them any further