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Is pinching yourself considered self harm?

Just the title question, really.

Every time I get stressed out or my anxieties kick in, I start pinching myself all over my hands and I start twisting my skin around the wrists too. It's what I do to relieve stress and at first I just thought it was all harmless but after a bit of research on the internet, I found out that some people consider it self harm.

Any extra advice/information is much appreciated too :smile:
(edited 9 years ago)

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Well if you go as far to making yourself bleed from punching yourself repetitively then yes I guess it would be associated with self harm
Any type of harming yourself is considered self harm.

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Yes it is.
Reply 4
Original post by Anonymous
Just the title question, really.

Every time I get stressed out or my anxieties kick in, I start pinching myself all over my hands and I start twisting my skin around the wrists too. It's what I do to relieve stress and at first I just thought it was all harmless but after a bit of research on the internet, I found out that some people consider it self harm.

Any extra advice/information is much appreciated too :smile:


What do you get out of doing it, if you don't mind me asking? Do you find it pleasurable or painful?

I had a kinda similar problem, its strange how some things you wouldn't think of at all are considered self harm :s-smilie:

PM or something if you like :smile: :hugs:
Reply 5
Original post by katbob
What do you get out of doing it, if you don't mind me asking? Do you find it pleasurable or painful?

I had a kinda similar problem, its strange how some things you wouldn't think of at all are considered self harm :s-smilie:

PM or something if you like :smile: :hugs:


Erm it's more just to relieve pain - I'm not sure if pleasurable is the correct term? I keep on doing it and I do it without realising so I guess it's become second nature to me. I'll sure pm you sometime I have any questions etc :smile:
Reply 6
Original post by lilypear
Well if you go as far to making yourself bleed from punching yourself repetitively then yes I guess it would be associated with self harm


I don't do it at an extent to make myself bleed, is it still self harm?
Why are you worried about the technicalities of whether it's considered self-harm? :laugh:

But anyway, the way I see it, self-harm is when you intentionally harm yourself, for example, by cutting your skin.
Your pinching, however, seems to be a more or less involuntary result of getting stressed, not unlike biting nails under the same circumstances or fiddling with your keys. Even if you do do it intentionally I doubt it's a cause for concern unless you get very intense with it, indeed. :biggrin:

With regards to advice, I'd suggest you develop other coping mechanisms :smile: For example, try breathing exercises and/or meditation techniques to deal with stress. Good luck!
Just bear in mind it can be a sensitive topic in some areas of employment. If you feel you need help you should definitely seek it, but if you feel comfortable with who you are then I would avoid the label.

There is no shame in either, but only you know if it's a real problem. The label of self harm is not something you want attached to you unless absolutely necessary. I don't want to put people off seeking help who need it - as I said, it's not shameful at all - but in your case I think you should be less concerned with what it is called, and more concerned about whether there is or is not an impact on your life.

Good luck. :smile:
(edited 9 years ago)
Yes it is still considered self harm. Many people believe that only cutting is self harm, it does in fact cover a much wider range of things. Eating too much, eating too little, pinching, scratching, burning, drinking too much, swallowing things you shouldn't - pieces of metal etc, hair-pulling, head-banging. The list goes on.

If I remember correctly they're considered maladaptive coping strategies, which is when you intentionally/knowingly harm yourself as a means of dealing with emotions. Though it isn't just physical things, just any way of coping that's negative.

^erm what?

And yes, technically it is, but I don't think it would generally be classed as self harm, compared to cutting or self-poisoning, for example.
Original post by HexBugMaster
Why are you worried about the technicalities of whether it's considered self-harm? :laugh:

But anyway, the way I see it, self-harm is when you intentionally harm yourself, for example, by cutting your skin.
Your pinching, however, seems to be a more or less involuntary result of getting stressed, not unlike biting nails under the same circumstances or fiddling with your keys. Even if you do do it intentionally I doubt it's a cause for concern unless you get very intense with it, indeed. :biggrin:

With regards to advice, I'd suggest you develop other coping mechanisms :smile: For example, try breathing exercises and/or meditation techniques to deal with stress. Good luck!


Thanks for all the advice :smile: I've heard that meditation is really good for anxiety so I might try that out some time. And I don't pinch myself to cause harm (i.e. to release blood) it's just a relief technique for me.

Original post by Octohedral
Just bear in mind it can be a sensitive topic in some areas of employment. If you feel you need help you should definitely seek it, but if you feel comfortable with who you are then I would avoid the label.

There is no shame in either, but only you know if it's a real problem. The label of self harm is not something you want attached to you unless absolutely necessary. I don't want to put people off seeking help who need it - as I said, it's not shameful at all - but in your case I think you should be less concerned with what it is called, and more concerned about whether there is or is not an impact on your life.

Good luck. :smile:


Yeah, I'm more concerned about whether it could get progressively worse etc but at the moment, I seem to be fine - just the cause of the pinching that's probably more of a concern. But thanks heaps anyways :smile:

Original post by AlphaDog0127
Yes it is still considered self harm. Many people believe that only cutting is self harm, it does in fact cover a much wider range of things. Eating too much, eating too little, pinching, scratching, burning, drinking too much, swallowing things you shouldn't - pieces of metal etc, hair-pulling, head-banging. The list goes on.

If I remember correctly they're considered maladaptive coping strategies, which is when you intentionally/knowingly harm yourself as a means of dealing with emotions. Though it isn't just physical things, just any way of coping that's negative.


Original post by InsertWittyName

^erm what?

And yes, technically it is, but I don't think it would generally be classed as self harm, compared to cutting or self-poisoning, for example.


Oh, I don't understand why it's like that :confused:. And what you said is what I thought - cheers for the reassurance :smile:
Yes it is. Anything that you do to your self to in a away get relief in a painful way is self harm.
Reply 13
Original post by Anonymous
Just the title question, really.

Every time I get stressed out or my anxieties kick in, I start pinching myself all over my hands and I start twisting my skin around the wrists too. It's what I do to relieve stress and at first I just thought it was all harmless but after a bit of research on the internet, I found out that some people consider it self harm.

Any extra advice/information is much appreciated too :smile:


It's not self-harm if you don't think it is. It's just something weird that you do.
It is still considered self-harm. You're using the physical act of pinching as a coping mechanism instead of a healthier release, such as exercise/drawing/painting etc. Maybe talk to someone and figure out a way to cope with stressful situations using a safer technique? All the best. :smile:
Original post by ahappydyl
It is still considered self-harm. You're using the physical act of pinching as a coping mechanism instead of a healthier release, such as exercise/drawing/painting etc. Maybe talk to someone and figure out a way to cope with stressful situations using a safer technique? All the best. :smile:


It is but I've seen people do much worse. I shudder thinking what one girl i used to know did to herself
Yes as it's self inflicted pain. Please try and get help to stop so it doesn't get worse. You can do it :smile:
Original post by TheAnusFiles
It is but I've seen people do much worse. I shudder thinking what one girl i used to know did to herself


Of course people have and will do worse but it doesn't matter the intensity of infliction (did you know starving yourself is considered self-harm?), pinching yourself in stressful situations is harming yourself physically and probably somewhat emotionally, hence it is self-harm.

Yes, there are different types and intensities of self-harm but they are all universally contained under the same concept. It's good that you're asking yourself these questions because it means you're aware of your situation. But all the same, it doesn't matter if you were burning/cutting yourself horrendously or just pulling a few strands of hair out, I'd still advise you to talk to someone about it.

Sometimes it's just a build up of emotions and there is nothing wrong with that.
Original post by ahappydyl
Of course people have and will do worse but it doesn't matter the intensity of infliction (did you know starving yourself is considered self-harm?), pinching yourself in stressful situations is harming yourself physically and probably somewhat emotionally, hence it is self-harm.

Yes, there are different types and intensities of self-harm but they are all universally contained under the same concept. It's good that you're asking yourself these questions because it means you're aware of your situation. But all the same, it doesn't matter if you were burning/cutting yourself horrendously or just pulling a few strands of hair out, I'd still advise you to talk to someone about it.

Sometimes it's just a build up of emotions and there is nothing wrong with that.


I got really desensitised to it but when I think about it with any degree of objectivity, it makes me shudder
yeah it is, I used to do that as well as punch myself in the stomach. last year I stabbed myself and after that I just didn't want to self-harm anymore.
I still do it occasionally though and I am not proud of it.

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