If I have fresh cuts then I would tend to cover them up. However it has taken me several years to get to the point where I will now go out in public in a t-shirt, showing all my scars. I no longer care what people think, let them stare, let them talk about it to their friends behind my back. I am just proud of how far I have come and I am really trying to stop cutting. One way to look at it is that they are battle scars, I know cutting was about survival for me, If i hadn't have done it i'm not sure if I would still be here today. But here I am to tell the story. It's too hot for me in the summer to keep covered up. Sure i've never been so stared at in my life but I am confident enough now not to let it bother me. I remember talking to my therapist saying that I wish I could have the courage to go out in short sleeves, I never thought I would. But time heals and makes you grow stronger. Life's too short to worry about what other people think. -x-
I cover fresh cuts up but now I don't bother covering up the scars on my arms. I used to be really worried about what people would say but I don't let it bother me any more.
Thanks for all of your replies! they've been so helpful..
The only trouble I'm having is.. i can cover up my lower arm with a bandage and say that I pulled a muscle or a tendon or ssomething outta place.. That's easy..
It's just I can't wear a bandage over my upper arm because what excuse do I have there? It'd be blatantly obvious what I've done.. I guess, or at least, i hope.. They'll be more faded by the time I go to Prague and just be scars.. Scars I'm not bothered about.. Don't care tbh
No-one has asked me about my scars, I don't think, apart from once in school, where I had 3 parallel scars and I just told the guy who asked me that a dog at the keneels that I was working at, at the time, had jumped up and scratched me..
So.. I can't have them on view.. but how do I cover them up if I want to wear short sleeved tops?!!
Allie, I'll never forget you..
Love You Always.
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the things which you think you cannot do.
I used to go out my way to cover my scars, i'd literally do anything to hide them no matter how stupid i looked, because i'd have looked stupid that be judged.
Now i dont bother, if people wish to treat me differently, or judge me because i SI then so be it, everyone has problems in their life, these are mine. If someone wishes to hate me because i SI, then that's their loss.
Hold your head high gorgeous, they will kill to see you fall.
I don't self harm any more and I don't cover my scars. The worst of them are at the top of my left arm and I do find myself putting my hand over them sometimes though.
I put it down on paper and then the ghost does not ache so much.
Don't try to calm the storm, calm yourself, the storm will pass.
I find myself doing that quite a lot sometimes too.. I always fold my arms to try and cover it up, especially at college. Some people have commented, like calling me an emo the last time I did it and had a bandage covering it. He shut up when I turned around and said "yeah, and I heard that Paul. Got a problem with it?"
But, yeah, hopefully these newer ones will be gone by Sunday I want to be able to wear short sleeved tops in Prague when I go because it's going to be boiiiiiling!!
Allie, I'll never forget you..
Love You Always.
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the things which you think you cannot do.
i only have old scars so i dont think i will
but it depends very much on my mood
sometimes i want to and feel very private about it
then i think what the heck, what are they gona say that i havnt already heard?
tis a confusing time
There will always be a happy ending. If its not happy then its not yet the end.
Well, until we got to the airport and I took off my jumper because it was BOILING!! and the heat was unbearable. Someone asked "how did you do that?" pointing at my arm, so I replied with "you can guess". I thought that'd be the end of it, but noooo, he asked why i did it was it friends? Bf? Family? I was just like "just **** that's gone on" so another guy who knows about it already came over after and asked if i was ok and said that the other guy was out of order and he could tell I'd felt uncomfortable..
I felt so dumb though! Not knowing what to say!But the other guy, Dean who came up to me afterwards, made me feel batter and he made sure the other guy didn't sit next to me on the plan Thank God! haha.
Apart from that, it was a great holiday! The sun was glorious and I got a nice tan, to cover up the scars a bit from others, which is good :)
thanks for the advice guys!! much appreciated
xxKirstenxx
Allie, I'll never forget you..
Love You Always.
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the things which you think you cannot do.
i dont care if people see or not. as long as my parents dont see it doesnt matter. if somebody wishes to come up to me in town and ask about it they are more then welcome to. although they might not get a straight answer!
I have started to be more open about my scars now, although they are pretty bad :/ I am learning to realise that people cope in different ways and that's my way of coping, so.. People just have to accept it and if they can't, that's their problem ;)
Allie, I'll never forget you..
Love You Always.
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the things which you think you cannot do.
I have started to be more open about my scars now, although they are pretty bad :/ I am learning to realise that people cope in different ways and that's my way of coping, so.. People just have to accept it and if they can't, that's their problem ;)
I feel ok not to cover infront of my mum and partner, but anywhere public is a no for me, as thier cleary SI and pretty bad I don't dare walk down the street as people do stare and it makes me feel like a freak, I get worried someone would make a comment aswell.
However I wish I did feel brave enough, and admire those who feel they can.
I don't usually SI on my legs and I always cover those up with long enough pants/ skirt because they're pretty bad... even when I'd been free for years I'd stay covered them.
Now I have SI on my arm from time to time, especially when I was younger. I would always wear long sleeves when it was a cut, and foundation/ bracelets when it was a scar. But my arm never scarred as badly as my legs did, and most of those faded.
Thank you for all of your help and support. I will no longer be coming to RYL. Semi-explanation will be inside my profile.
I do pretty much they same as Carmen, after I had stopped for a while I would walk around in t-shirts with my family and close friends, then they started tell me to stop giving a **** about what other people thought, and after a while I did.
There are times I feel uncomfortable knowing my scars are showing, often time I'll even try to hide my arms behind my back...and there have actually only been a handful of time I've been asked about them.
I figure that this is a huge part of who I am, this will always be a huge part of who I am, so I might as well just deal with it and be comfortable.
There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.
I want to be able to wear short sleeved tops in Prague when I go because it's going to be boiiiiiling!!
