The urge to self-harm is like a wave. It feels the most powerful when you start wanting to do it.
Learn to ride the wave with the free Calm Harm app by choosing activities from these categories:
Comfort, Distract, Express Yourself, Release, and Random.
There is also a breathing exercise to help you be mindful and stay in the moment, regulate difficult emotions, and reduce tension.
When you ride the wave, the urge to self-harm will fade.
Calm Harm is an award-winning app developed for teenage mental health charity stem4 by Clinical Psychologist Dr. Nihara Krause, in collaboration with young people, using principles from evidence-based Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).
The Calm Harm app provides some immediate activities and techniques to help you break the cycle of self-harm behaviour and explore underlying trigger factors; the app supports you in building a ‘safety net’ of helpful thoughts, behaviours, and access to supportive people, as well as providing the opportunity to journal and self-reflect. The Calm Harm app also signposts to help.
The app is private, anonymous, and safe.
Read our guide to using the Calm Harm app during the COVID-19 pandemic
Please note that the Calm Harm app is not a substitute for the assessment and individualised treatment by a health or mental health professional.
Our app is for young people over the age of 13.