Self-Harm & Suicide Attempt Recovery & How to Build Resilience
Recovering from a suicide attempt or self-harm is a difficult time. You’re likely dealing with a mix of emotions like anger, confusion, guilt, shame, disappointment, or fear, and you may not know where to turn for help or what to do next.
It’s okay to feel uncertain. The important thing is to start taking steps so you can accept past these experiences and begin the recovery process. This article provides guidance and recovery tips for building resilience.
Key Takeaways
- Recovery from a suicide attempt or self-harm takes time, so be patient and give yourself time to heal.
- Self-harm and suicide attempt recovery can be helped by a multifaceted approach including inpatient and outpatient care, medication management, and support groups.
- Building resilience and developing effective coping skills are necessary for long-term recovery.
- Developing a strong support group is a key component of mental health recovery.
What to Expect from Self-Harm Recovery
Self-harm recovery is a personal journey that varies from person to person. There is no set timeframe for the length of recovery. Instead, it’s important to focus on healing, building resiliency, and self-compassion. Be patient with this process and take the time you need to fully recover emotionally, mentally, and physically.
Treatment for self-harm recovery often requires a multifaceted approach. Depending on the extent of your physical wounds, you may need to seek medical attention first. This step ensures you receive proper care, avoid infections, and minimize scarring.
In conjunction with medical attention, your treatment plan may include a mix of inpatient or outpatient therapy, which provides a safe place to share your struggles, experiences, and concerns. Mental health professionals like psychologists and psychotherapists can help you identify underlying issues and past trauma, as well as share effective coping skills to promote your recovery. A medical doctor can also prescribe medication in addition to psychological treatment.
Strategies for Building Resilience After Engaging in Self-Injury
Building resilience during your recovery can increase your chance of success. There are several strategies you can use for building this level of strength and fortitude, including:
Prioritize Self Care
Self-harm can be tough on your body. As you start to recover, it’s important to learn how to make yourself a priority and learn to take care of your body.
Here are some tips.
- Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet.
- Set a regular bedtime routine to ensure you’re getting enough sleep.
- Do some type of exercise every day, such as fitness classes, walking, or bicycling.
- Tend to your mental health and steer clear of drugs and alcohol.
Find an Accountability Partner
It’s crucial to designate a supportive friend or family member to be your accountability partner. This person helps make sure you’re following your treatment plan, taking care of yourself, and attending your appointments and support groups.
Develop Coping Skills
It’s important to develop healthy ways of dealing with life’s stressors. Find out what coping skills work best for you, such as journaling, meditation, music, or walking.
What to Expect from Suicide Attempt Recovery
Recovering from a suicide attempt is not an easy process. You may struggle with racing thoughts, conflicting feelings, periods of severe depression, anxiety, and other strong emotions that can hinder the recovery process. It’s important to realize these feelings are normal and give yourself time to adjust.
To fully recover from a suicide attempt, you must find ways to overcome these challenges and change your way of thinking and responding to life’s pressures. Just as with self-harm recovery, recovering from a suicide attempt takes a multifaceted approach.
Inpatient and Outpatient Treatment Options for Suicide Survivors
Depending on your specific situation, your suicide attempt recovery may include inpatient or outpatient treatment or a combination of both.
Immediately following your suicide attempt, inpatient care may be necessary. Not only can 24/7 care keep you safe, but it also gives you time to heal and reflect on this traumatic event in a safe and supportive environment. Inpatient care includes both individual and group therapy. A medical professional may prescribe medication that is right for your situation.
Outpatient care can be a short- or long-term treatment that builds upon the tools and coping skills learned during your inpatient stay or can be recommended as a stand-alone option. Treatment typically includes one-on-one counseling sessions with a trained therapist. You may also attend group therapy sessions or join a local support group for additional support. This type of care is critical to your ongoing recovery.
Strategies for Building Resilience After a Suicide Attempt
In addition to receiving professional mental health care, there are several strategies you can use to build resilience after a suicide attempt, including:
Learn Meditation
Meditation and relaxation techniques are one of the most effective strategies for overcoming negative or overwhelming thoughts, panic attacks, and anxiety. It’s important to practice these techniques frequently, if not daily, so you can instantly benefit from their use when necessary.
Research studies have found that meditation has a positive impact on stress reduction and general well-being. Meditation can help reduce suicide risk and improve conditions that increase the risk of suicide, such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders.
Dr. Brindusa Vanta, MD
Express Your Emotions
The last thing you want to do is to keep your thoughts, feelings, and emotions bottled up inside. While talk therapy is a good place to start, you should also find other ways to express your emotions, such as journaling, painting, sketching, and poetry.
Create a Safety Plan
Creating a safety plan is a must. You should determine exactly what steps you will take and who you can contact if you struggle with overwhelming feelings of suicide again. For instance, you may want to start with some of your coping skills. If these techniques don’t help, it’s time to call on your support system or a crisis hotline.
If you think you might be having suicidal thoughts, talk to your doctor as soon as possible. If you have intent to make a suicide attempt (you have a plan and a method), call 911 or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 immediately.
Dr. Brindusa Vanta, MD
The Importance of Building a Support System
A crucial component of suicide attempt or self-harm recovery is building a strong support system. Recovery takes time and often comes with a mix of ups and downs. You need to make sure you have people in your life that you can turn to if necessary.
Start by talking to several of your friends and family members and explain the type of support you need. It’s also recommended to join an in-person or online support group. Here, you can connect with other people who share similar experiences.
Start Your Path to Recovery Today
The good news is that recovery after self-harm or a suicide attempt is possible. The most important steps are to seek out professional help and build a strong support system. You also want to develop strategies for building resilience, such as self-care, developing coping skills, and meditation. This level of resilience is vital for long-term recovery.
Written by Elaine Mercer
Elaine Mercer holds a degree in Business Administration with a minor in Accounting. Her background includes work as a fiscal analyst and HR manager for midsize organizations. While she maintains a diverse writing portfolio that touches on most major industries, she specializes in business management, personal finances and HR-related topics. She has a knack for researching complex topics and turning this material into easy-to-understand, digestible content that keeps readers engaged, sparks interest and prompts action.
Subject Matter Expert Brindusa Vanta, MD
Dr. Brindusa Vanta is a healthcare professional, researcher, and medical subject matter expert . She earned her MD degree from "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine, Romania. She has a special interest in mental health and has collaborated with psychologists and other mental health practitioners on various research projects focused on therapies to manage depression, age-related cognitive decline, trauma and stressor- related conditions.