To regulate emotions. The number one most common reason people self-harm is to cope with overwhelming negative emotions. In one study, many people said they self-harmed in order to distract themselves from painful feelings, release anger, reduce tension, or manage stress (Briere & Gil, 1998). In fact, up to 86% of people who self-harm named anxiety relief as a reason for self-harm (Gardner & Gardner, 1975). This may be especially true for people suffering from borderline personality disorder (BPD), who often deal with overwhelming emotions. Among people with BPD who also self-harm, almost all (96%) said they used self-harm “to stop bad feelings” or “to relieve anxiety or terror” (Brown et al., 2002). Although it may be hard for some to understand, people who self-harm often do so after experiencing unbearable negative emotions, and describe feeling calm or relieved after self-harm (Brown et al., 2002). Research shows that when people with a history of self-harm were asked to imagine self-harming in the laboratory, they actually had lower physiological arousal (Brain, Haines, & Williams, 1998; Haines, Williams, Brain, & Wilson, 1995). This may explain why people who self-harm have trouble stopping- unfortunately, self-harm can be one way to cope with overwhelming negative emotions. Therefore, successful treatments for self-harm require learning healthier ways of managing distress.