A Helping Hand

Have you ever felt sad? What do you normally do when you're feeling this way? Do you cry? Listen to music? Hug someone? Eat a snack? All of these are good things to do when you are feeling this way. But some people don't know what to do when they are sad. They don't know what to do to make themselves happy again. There are many bad things to do when one is feeling down in the dumps that actually makes people feel worse instead of better. A few of these things include drugs and alcohol. But one of the things that people do that you guys may not know much about is something called self-harm. Self-harm is when someone is feeling so sad that they feel the need to hurt themselves. They usually take a sharp object and cut their arms or legs until there is blood, or put something hot against their skin to create a burn.

'Why would anybody want to do this?', you might ask. The answer isn't a simple one. People do certain things for different reasons. The person may feel that inflicting physical pain can sort of get rid of the mental pain that you are feeling. Usually people that do this are very sad, or depressed. Spotting the signs of self-harm isn’t always easy and are usually hidden. The people that self-harm usually wear long sleeves and long pants, even in hot weather, to cover up their scars and injuries. Self-harm is a very bad thing to do when you are sad; but some people don't know this. They don't know any other way to feel happy. It's your job to spot these people and help them feel happy again. 

What can you do if you notice that a friend or family member is harming themselves? The best thing to do is to stay calm and listen. They are obviously very sad and need your help to feel happy again. If they are injuring themselves, it's always good to tell an adult. One day, they may accidentally hurt themselves really bad and end up in the hospital. Tell a teacher or a school counselor. Your friend may get mad at first, but in the end they will thank you for saving their life. One other thing that you can do is to suggest the things that you do when you are feeling sad to make yourself feel better. Remember what I asked in the beginning? Do you cry when you are sad? Listen to music? Watch a movie? Hug someone? All of these are healthy ways of dealing with sadness. With your help, you could make someone happy and potentially save their life.