A Reason To Stop

I've found a new reason to stop. Recently I've started talking to a new "friend". One day it might be a relationship but right now it's a friendship that I don't want to break. He knows I'm bipolar and he knows that I'm working on stopping my self injury. When I told him about the self injury I told him it wasn't a big deal and that I'm trying to stop. His reaction was not one I've come across before. He immediately said "This is a very big deal but thank you for not sugar coating it". He explained to me that he had bad experiences with friends who self injured but that he also didn't understand self injury. I gave him a quick crash course in what it meant to me and what my situation is. He was rather upset with the fact that I do it but he was happy that I'm aware of the fact that its not a good thing to do and that I'm stopping. So I've decided that if I want to keep a friendship or relationship with this person I'm going to have to work really hard to stop cutting.

I know this is a pretty specific situation but I know a lot of people have probably had a somewhat similar problem. When you meet new people, spilling your guts usually isn't the best hello you can give them. I took my time in telling him so I wouldn't scare him away, but I had to tell him before he found out on his own. My best advice is, if the person cares about you in any way they will accept the fact that you have a mental disorder or that you self injure but only tell them when you're ready. You have to be comfortable with yourself before being comfortable with someone else.