Perfection(ism)+redemption and Christianity+selfharm/mental illness

So I'm a bit of a perfectionist. No surprise there for most. There's something that I've been thinking about for a while and kept getting confused on, but think I've finally sorted it out in my head.
People keep saying we're 'alive in Christ', that when you accept what Jesus has done for you, you are 'born again'. etc. Biblically this is true, so I have always felt so guilty for doing bad stuff after I became a Christian, as if my thoughts, actions etc should all be instantly perfect. Main example - self harm. This is very difficult territory which I have still yet to totally figure out in my head. There are all sorts of opinions flying around about mental illness in relation to faith at the moment, but back to main point for now. But being saved, accepting Jesus, doesn't make your behaviour, mind or body perfect instantly. It doesn't make life a doddle. By a LONG way. 

So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

- Romans 6:11

If you look through this ^^ passage, I think it's talking about the power of sin. It means sin has no eternal power over me anymore, in that way I am dead to sin's power. (cos of the cross) We discussed this last night in a church group thing I'm just starting. I think I can sum up the first half of this post like this: I am spiritually alive; but I will not be made 'perfect' (in all the ways God intended before sin {rebellion against God} existed), until I am with God in heaven. In the mean time, I know the ways God intended me to live are the best for me, so with the spirit's help, I will try and do the best I can with what I've got!


So! I need to remind myself a lot that mistakes  are mistakes, sin is sin, I need to try and walk in God's way more, instead of  my own... but not beat myself up when I don't get it right; cos I am human. 


But how does this work out in real life? Good question! Well the most obvious thing I'm not good at is treating myself with respect and love. (ugh just saying makes my insides squirm!) 


The the second half. Christianity, mental illness and self harm. 
Firstly, there is a growing recognition and acceptance within church that mental illness is no more the person's fault than a physical one. God can heal both yes, does he always? No. But you would recommend someone with a broken bone to get medical treatment, not just 'pray more' or 'have more faith'. These attitudes are changing. The difficulty comes when an illness causes you to sin. In my case the main thing being self harm. What's the general consensus then? 


 Is it OK to self harm? is it even a sin? - I've gone into more detail with my thoughts on this below; but primarily, I'm not sure if God is concerned with whether it's sin or not. He loves us and doesn't want us to be hurting inside so much that we need to take it out in such an extreme way. For a Christian who knows someone who self harms, don't make your primary aim to 'make them stop it'. Make it your primary aim to love that person, letting God's love flow through you. Support them, invite them over, meet with them, whatever their needs are, do what you are able to help them. Try seeing that person through God's eyes. The last thing (I know I) need is judgement and pressure. 
With the whole is it a sin thing... I'm sure God would rather we didn't do it, cos I know he loves us and doesn't want us to hurt physically or emotionally, but is it a sin? There's the whole 'your body is a temple for the spirit to live in' thing... well here's the verses:

Do you not know that yout are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

- 1 Corinthians 16-17

This argument seems pretty clear huh? ... BUT the word 'you', is a plural 'you'. If you rewind back into that passage, Paul is writing about the church, not an individual. The Jews believed that the temple is where God dwelled, so Paul is saying 'you' as a group of people, are like a temple, because God dwells in you now. I'm not sure the primary meaning of these verses (when put in context,) means what a lot of people abstract it to mean. 

However as I said before, God doesn't want you to be hurting, and morality alone tells us that it's not a good thing to injure someone else, and you have the same value as everyone else, so of course doesn't wish you to hurt yourself either. So sin? maybe... but that lie you told your friend the other day to get out of something? same thing. Just more socially acceptable. Doesn't mean it's spiritually more acceptable too.

OK think I waffled on farrr too much and deeply, so:

To people who know someone who self harms: love them, don't judge them. 

To anyone who is has a mental illness - it doesn't make you any 'less' of a person or Christian. 

Well that was a head-stretching one. Hope I made sense!
Thanks for reading!