Conquering self-harm by Karen. This story is about karen who was overweight growing up. Her mom used to give her tiny portions of ‘grilled chicken and a cup of fruit’ while the rest of her family would be eating ‘a steak dinner and a piece of cake’. It made her self esteem go down. She also got very insecure about herself. Even her own mom made her feel bad about herself. People started to call her ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ even though she wasn’t. This made her feel like she was worthless and like she was nothing at all. One day she found a CD case and decided to make her first cut at the age of 13 in 2009. Cutting made her ‘think clearer, and more focused’ She was ‘hooked’. Then her english teacher told her that she was worth it, and that she should try to stop. Her teacher did help her stop cutting, and she finally ‘defeated self-harm’.
This piece of writing caught my attention because my friend to used to cut. She thought that nobody cared when we did. I was one of the two people who actually knew about her cutting at the time. There is still only two people who know about what she has gone through. She used to wait until her parents went to sleep, so she could go upstairs and find something sharp to dig into her wrist. Then I told her that she should try and stop. I didn’t tell her that she had to stop, I only wanted her to try. We did care about her, we did like her. You could see the cuts on her wrists, slowly fading away because she could finally realize that everybody adored her.
I totally agree with the writer. I strongly agree because I do believe that you are worth it and you shouldn’t let other people bring you down. I think that the people who put you down are just saying that so they can build their self-esteem higher, and yours lower. They only want you to feel insecure like them. You also can show them that you are stronger than them, and don’t have to bring people down just to make yourself feel good. I also agree that thing will get better for you so just keep on keepin on.
My favorite part of this story was when she says “Tale the time to talk to that boys in your class who seems lost, or that girl who keeps her head down. Be kind to all- remember just because someone is outgoing doesn’t mean that they aren’t suffering. You can make a difference.” This piece of writing changed my thinking a little bit. It did when she tells us that her English teacher inspired her to stop cutting. This changed my thinking because it makes me think that anybody can make a difference. Even if you don’t know them that we, just try to help.