The Great Cover Up

[greenstarz]

I wear long sleeves and pants or jeans 365 days a year. I would completely freak people out if I were to wear short sleeves or shorts. Also, sometimes seeing my scars and fresh injury triggers me to want to do more. I'm not just being overly sensitive, it's a fact that I need to cover it all up. And also, some meds cause---I know it's gross---excess sweating. Combine these things and the 95 degree tempature that is today, and add going grocery shopping in a non air conditioned car or store, and it's not a very nice thing for me.

I'm sure other people who injure have this problem too.

Has anyone discovered anything that really makes this all easier to deal with? A way to stay cooler? Anything?

 

[Cat Dancer]

Really light, long sleeved shirts with linen in them with a tank top underneath. Light colored pants. Sometimes I wear sandals, but my feet have scars too. I just hope people don't stare at my feet.

I hope that one day I can be brave enough to wear comfortable clothes in the summer and not worry so much what other people think.

I struggle with this too. I miss swimming.

Edited to add: The most important thing is to get to the bottom of the self injury and stop the behavior so there aren't any new wounds. I believe therapy is helping me with that, though it is slow. Then when that happens I want to be able to wear short sleeves and shorts. I don't know if this makes sense.

 

[Daniel E.]

I would completely freak people out if I were to wear short sleeves or shorts. Also, sometimes seeing my scars and fresh injury triggers me to want to do more.

And, of course, most people who self-injure feel ashamed of their scars, and such feelings of shame increase (rather than decrease) their likelihood of self-harming again.

 

[Jazzey]

I miss swimming.

...I go swimming almost every day now. I wear professional makeup which is water resistant. And to be honest, in the pool generally, people aren't close enough to notice. The rest of the time, I'm covered up now. But in the water, I feel safer because people aren't close enough.