Sufferer Hello - Don't Feel I Should Be Struggling With This At My Age

[RussH]

You wrote that you wear long sleeves in the middle of the summer. While I don't advocate lying, sometimes it is ok. I wear long sleeve shirts in the summer, because of over exposure to the sun when I was younger, so when people ask just tell them you do it for protection from the sun.

 

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

I use vitamin E oil on the scars. I have a lot of cuts in one area. At first it made them more pronounced, but it has made them less visible over time. It has been one month since I started using the oil and the little scars are just about gone. The big ones are less noticeable. I used to wrap my arm to cover the scars, but now I just hope no one will ask. When people ask me about my scars, I just say "Oh, I wasn't paying attention and I cut myself." If people get pushy and press to know specifics, my therapist recommends asking "Why do you ask?" She says it can help let people know they are being nosy. I haven't used that line yet, but I thought it was a good suggestion.

 

[RussH]

If people get pushy and press to know specifics, my therapist recommends asking "Why do you ask?" She says it can help let people know they are being nosy. I haven't used that line yet, but I thought it was a good suggestion.

That is a good response, and I guess it would depend on the person and the circumstances. if it is someone that you don't know, and are not really interested in knowing, then absolutely, give them a blow off answer.

However if it is someone you are really connecting with, and know you can trust them, which is very hard, then you might start slowly revealing some things to them to see how they respond. If their response is positive, and accepting, then this might be someone you will eventually allow to get to know the real you.

You could couch it in the past. " I was going through a real difficult period in my life, and needed something to express the pain I was feeling, so I cut myself." This one be one possible thing you could say to see how they respond. It is just a suggestion.