TEDxFIU: Self-help through butterflies

Alexa Rae Chavarry, 19, is the creator of butterfly-project.tumblr.com, an anonymous blog that has helped thousands, including herself, recover from self-injury, eating disorders, addiction and suicide. On her blog, Chavarry asks her readers who are thinking of hurting themselves to instead draw a butterfly on themselves and name it after someone they care about. The goal is to focus on the butterfly, in the hopes that even after it fades, the individual is strong enough to continue on the road to recovery. Chavarry came across the idea in high school after she searched the Internet for different coping mechanisms for self-harm. In 2011, she launched the blog to share her recovery method with the world. Today, the blog has more than 14,000 followers who have submitted their stories of struggle, hope and recovery.