Reaction to Free Your Wrists Friday: The Comfort Factor

I woke up and automatically started putting on my bracelets before I realized what I’d promised myself I would do. At first, as I started taking them off, I thought maybe I wouldn’t partake in this experiment. However, I knew that if I didn’t at least try to make it through the day with nothing on my wrists, I’d feel as if I’d disappointed myself.

So, I took the bracelets off.

I did not like how it felt wearing nothing on my self-harm scars on my wrists. First of all, I realized how awful my tan lines were from wearing them on a daily basis. That, at least, made me laugh away some anxiety. I felt as though I was naked and that I needed to hide myself before my self-injury scars were noticed. In truth, it was only a big deal to me. But the big deal did make me feel uncomfortable throughout day.

I won’t lie, but I did put my bracelets back on after work. However, I had not gone that long without wearing them since high school – before my years of self-harm. I’m extremely proud that I went that long without breaking down and putting them back on.

Part of the experiment was being able to push through that anxiety and I’m proud that I did so.

Change is Not Comfortable, but is Sometimes Needed

Most of us fall into routines that keep us stable throughout the day. If we don’t at least have some sort of schedule set up, we tend to feel lost. Just by simply not putting on my bracelets (like I almost did), my routine began to break down, and I along with it. Luckily, I have much better coping skills now than in years past that allowed me to move forward with less anxiety.

This shows how important it is to have coping skills, especially when you’re faced with change. It is important to find a way to gain back some sort of comfort when that comfort is taken away. Whether it is listening to a funny talk show (something that helped me before heading to work with naked wrists) or drinking a little extra coffee, you have to find something you can hang onto when you feel uncomfortable with a situation.