Feb.28-March01

VOCABULARY WORD OF THE DAY (MERRIAM WEBSTER) Stultify - verb (STUL-tuh-fye) Stultify means “to cause someone or something to become dull or ineffective.” 1 a: to have a dulling or inhibiting effect on b: to impair, invalidate, or make ineffective : NEGATE 2: to cause to appear or be stupid, foolish, or absurdly illogical 3: archaic : to allege or prove to be of unsound mind and hence not responsible Ex. 1. With a government as stultified by bureaucracy as that one, even the simplest records request can take weeks. 2. The goal is to stimulate, not stultify, productive economic activity—the kind that raises output and justifies increased wages. —Judy Shelton, WSJ, 8 Mar. 2021 3. Every decision is a conversation, what could be ceaselessly stultifying to some. —Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 June 2019 Etymology Late Latin stultificare to make foolish, from Latin stultus foolish; akin to Latin stolidus stolid

TRIVIA WHAT DAY IS IT TODAY? FEBRUARY 28 - Rare Disease Day & International Repetitive Strain Injury Awareness Day, MARCH 01 - Baby Sleep Day, Self-Injury Awareness Day, World Compliment Day, World Civil Defense Day, World Music Therapy Day, Zero Discrimination Day, World Seagrass Day, Endometriosis Awareness Day, Independence Movement Day(SOUTH KOREA), International Ideas Month, International Women of Color Day, and National Sage Day

Article Link: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/blog/my-story-of-self-harm-recovery/

My story of self-harm recovery 23 April 2018 Self-harm is difficult to talk about, but support is available to help you recover. Our guest blogger, Charlotte, shares what helped her stop self-harming after eight years. I was doing it for the sense of relief it provided.

I was only 14 when I started to self-harm. I didn’t know what I was doing at the time, but it began as a kind of anxious habit to calm me down. I was never intending to hurt myself. I was doing it for the sense of relief it provided. I felt like the only way I could function and leave my room was if I had that release. I was so ashamed that I did it, and at school I was worried I would be bullied for the scars on my skin. I didn’t want to be known for that, so I hid under baggy clothing.

It impacted my relationships too. I didn’t want a person I liked to see my skin, or to see my scars. Even at school I would find excuses not to do P.E. so I wouldn’t have to get undressed. If I couldn’t get out of it I would have to change in such a complicated way that I still managed to draw attention to myself. It was hell. At school I would find excuses not to do P.E. so I wouldn’t have to get undressed.

One day my father walked in on me when I was self-harming. I thought, “This is it, I am in so much trouble and I’ll be grounded.” On another level I felt so worried about upsetting my father. He meant so much to me and I never wanted to give him a reason to be hurt. Yet to my surprise he just sat next to me, calmed me down and told me to be safe. He then got me scar oil in case I wanted it – which was so thoughtful. I am now 22 and haven’t self-harmed for over a year. I have no desire to harm myself in any way, I don’t even drink or smoke any more.

So how did I recover from self-harm?

I keep myself productive I clean, write and trampoline to avoid those thoughts.

I talk to people Because I know that there is no shame in my feelings or my past.

I never overwhelm myself and take one day at a time Knowing your limits is important.

I find a healthy outlet Expressing your feelings and finding a healthy outlet, be it a sport or an art, will help even if it seems impossible to do.

I started small You can start small and build it up with time. To start with I found writing hard, but now I don’t stop. It’s my therapy.

CLOSING REMARKS Looking back, for a long time I had suffered alone and didn't realise I could ask for help. So my message to you would be: don’t let fear prevent you from getting the support you deserve. Don’t let fear prevent you from getting the support you deserve.