Why People Self-Harm And How To Respond With Care, with Brittany Tinsley

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Please note: This episode discusses self-injury and emotional distress. Listener discretion is advised.

Self-injury is talked about in whispers, jokes, or headlines, and almost never with the calm honesty people actually need. Nazish sits down with mental health advocate Brittany Tinsley to name what self-harm really is, why it happens, and how easily the wrong reaction can push someone deeper into silence. If you have ever worried you will “say the wrong thing,” or if you have carried this alone, this conversation is built to feel safe, respectful, and real.

We unpack the biggest misconception Brittany runs into: that people self-injure “for attention.” She explains why self-harm is often secretive, why the label increases shame, and how support matters even if you do not fully understand the reasons. We also explore self-injury as a coping mechanism, including the drive for control, the urge to numb emotional pain, and the chemistry of endorphins and adrenaline that can make self-harm feel briefly relieving. Framed this way, self-injury becomes a signal of deeper distress, not a moral failure.

From there, we talk about healing in a realistic way. Brittany shares a practical early-step approach that avoids the overwhelm of “quit forever” and instead focuses on delaying urges minute by minute, building confidence, and leaning on community when therapy is not accessible. We also get honest about relapse and setbacks, and why recovery from self-harm is not linear. Self-compassion is not a soft add-on here, it is a core tool for long-term mental health recovery.

Brittany also shares where to find her work, including her book Stories Our Scars Tell and her online resources. If you or someone you know is struggling right now, support is available: you can text HOME to 741-741 or call or text 988. Subscribe for more grounded mental health conversations, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find help faster.

Connect with Brittany:

• Website: https://brittanytinsley.com
• Substack: https://brittanytinsley.substack.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brittanytinsleywrites
• Book: Stories Our Scars Tell

Crisis Support (U.S.)

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988
• Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741

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