By Colleen Harley
Copy Editor

With so much going on in the world nowadays, it’s easy to get wrapped up and lost in all different kinds of news stories. From the crises in Ukraine and Syria, to the problems with climate change, people are getting lost in translation. Every country has their own individual issues, but there is one thing that goes on all around the world that should never go unnoticed. Self-Harm and suicides are serious issues that take a backseat to so many others when it should be at the forefront.

Not everyone is ignoring the problem. One major awareness project is deemed “The Butterfly Project.” Started anonymously on the social media website, Tumblr, the project is aimed at helping people of all ages take the first steps toward recovery and a higher self-worth.

The way the Butterfly Project (butterfly-project.tumblr.com) works is self-harmers draw a butterfly on their wrist or anywhere else that you have previously self-harmed. The next step is, naming the butterfly, and it should be named after a lost loved one, or someone who wants you to get better. The butterfly has to fade on its own, there’s no scrubbing it off or you haven’t done the project correctly. Also, if you harm yourself before the butterfly has faded, you have killed it. If you do not self-harm before it fades, it has survived and flown away. Even if you do not self-harm, show your support and draw one on yourself, it might just save someone’s life.

Another symbol of support for victims of self-harm is the orange ribbon. The orange ribbon is the universal symbol for self-harm awareness. March 1 is designated as Self-Injury Awareness Day, or abbreviated as SIAD worldwide. This day promotes people to be open in talking about their problems with themselves and what made them want to harm themselves physically. On this day every year people from different organizations meet with these victims of self-harm and talk to them about what they can do to help themselves from doing the action. But how many countries or places in the world really recognize it and use the day to make self-harmers not feel so alone?

Places all around the world are aware of people harming themselves due to depression, anxiety, stress, panic and all other sorts of problems going on in those individuals lives. This is an extremely relevant issue not only in Bucks County, but across the country and nations around the world that needs to be recognized further. There needs to be more publicity highlighting what causes self-injury and what people can do to help themselves and others. Also, there should be more publicity on highlighting that self-harmers are not alone and there is a “light at the end of the tunnel.”

More walks, and events need to be held in honor of stopping, or lowering the rate of stopping self-injury because nobody deserves to feel the pain that most of these people are going through. Also, more magazine and newspapers across the world need to be writing stories or articles on people who were previous self-harmers success stories about how they overcame their battles.