A Day in the Life of Harmless
By Sydney Cooke (Self Harm Team Lead) This picture was taken on a Friday afternoon at 4pm. My colleague and I had gone a bit stir crazy by this point in the week. Could we string a sentence together? Absolutely not. No two days at Harmless are the same. One minute you are preparing a […]
Stress Awareness Month
April is stress awareness month. Stress is an emotional state that as humans, we all experience in our day-to-day. It is our body’s way of responding to demands or perceived threats. To enable us to navigate stressful situations, our body will activate a “fight-or-flight” survival response – a process whereby our bodies will release hormones […]
Parents and Carers Drop In Support
At Harmless, we know that the effects of self harm go beyond the person who is self harming, as a service we are here for anyone who is affected by self harm. That is why we are running Parent and Carer drop in support. The aim of these drop ins is to provide emotional support […]
Self-Harm, what happens out of hours?
In light of Self Harm Awareness Day on Wednesday, one of the most important things we can do as individuals is develop our knowledge of self-harm. Where does it happen? When does it happen? The answer is – people can self-harm at any time and any place. Mental health support is often delivered between 9am-5pm, […]
Social Anxiety: How can I manage it?
Social anxiety is defined by the NHS as a long-term and overwhelming fear of social situations. It can present in different ways and intensities, and can affect every day activities, self confidence, relationships and work/school life. Some of the examples of social anxiety are fear of talking to others/joining in conversations, worries you may embarrass […]
Mental Health in Winter
Winter can be a difficult time of the year for many. As the days fall shorter, darker, and colder, our mental health is impacted. You may feel the urge to stay in bed for longer and are less likely to want to go outside. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that commonly […]
“I Really Miss Self-Harming” – A Note on ‘Socially Unacceptable’ Feelings
Understanding Self-Harm: For many people, harming themselves helps them manage difficult emotions, uncomfortable memories, and/ or challenging circumstances. The methods people use, and the reasons people harm themselves can be as varied as our fingerprints. Many who access our service seek support to understand what fuels their self-harming habits and aim to either manage it […]
The Power of Remembrance
Annually, we take time to honour and show respect to those who have passed, acknowledging their struggles and challenges, commemorating their hardship and sacrifice so we can keep our lived freedoms. A day of remembrance of what was lost so that more could be gained for future generations. . I curiously ponder this time we […]
How can we be more Self Compassionate?
Compassion is defined as the sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress, and the desire to alleviate this distress together. We often find being compassionate towards others as almost an autopilot response. However, being compassionate to ourselves is not always as easy. When we are struggling with our thoughts and feelings, we can sometimes be hard on […]
Boundaries
Setting boundaries with people can be hard work, it can feel uncomfortable. Often we find ourselves saying yes to things we don’t really want to do, or doing things we aren’t comfortable with. This might be because we feel guilty, or fear a negative response from others. Boundaries are a good way to protect our […]