Morning everyone,
NSHN is a place that is encouraging self injury rather than encouraging people to stop. Once someone writes "trigger" it is an alert that they intend to post something that is obviously going to set some people off. I think that the whole idea of "trigger posting" should be abolished and new rules created to reflect the changes. NSHN has been quite a busy forum in general and when it comes to offering advice, it's often just hugs, we need a way to actually let people know SAMARITANS are there. You CAN contact them, maybe positive stories from members reflecting times they've had with Samaritans or Childling, or any helpline?
NSHN is a forum for people who are dealing with their emotions, it is not a room that promotes Self Harm. I thought NSHN was to support people with difficult emotions not having to deal with a group of people who want to self-harm. I know there is a large portion of the group that is made up of people in that category, but we need to really be vigilant and encourage other people in the group to speak up ... You can still express yourself without causing distress and worry to other members...
For many, the two things are linked. It is because people have had personal experience that they try to offer support and empathy to others, though the extent to which they can is limited. It can be draining responding to posts and sometimes the volume (and content) of postings means some will garner more responses.
It is unfair and inaccurate to imply that NSHN is a place where SH is encouraged. Many people here have real life support, though the quality can sometimes vary, they are encouraged to use it where they can. Some people have also invented or shared their own distractions as a result of using this forum. I think it also says something about the site that there is is an awareness amongst some professionals that is an outlet people might like to try whilst not being a replacement for support IRL. It is also worth remembering that sometimes people don't want to engage with RL support because of negative experiences or they feel guilty about using them, that others should get them, self-blame, things are not 'that bad' (despite some signs suggesting otherwise), etc. Sometimes people aren't in the right place to hear good suggestions, no matter how well-thought out and intended they are. We are all guilty of shooting down suggestions at one point or another.
The *trigger* warnings... They are part of an ongoing issue I have (again, why I tend to avoid the support rooms) Yes they are to alert people that there is going to be mention of blood, harming, overdoses, abuse etc but to me its cotton wool. You are on this forum, you know what this forum is for, you are going in the support rooms so you would think it would be obvious that mention of some form of "triggering" material would be mentioned. If you are so sensitive as not to be able to handle something you read on a screen then you shouldnt be there. There are room descriptions before you enter each room so its not like you are going in blind, you are making an informed choice.
Some people are new to the world of discussion boards and may be a little surprised at how much detail people provide about their SH and other issues. Personally, I'm not really phased by posts these days. I'd find videos or stories like the Amanda Todd case more upsetting on a human level. A lot of the time, the labelling is self-policing as people add it themselves, or sometimes people ask moderators to add trigger warnings. If you think of trigger warnings as traffic light signals then that's all they are, advice to proceed with caution if you want, or to stop and take another turn, as it were. They needn't be cotton wool.