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To Sam
Will My Scars Hurt My Career As a Volunteer?
I've been recently having a really hard time with my self-harm. I have an addiction, there's no saying "No" to that. But, the problem is, when I get upset about something, I have urges to self-harm. This is most likely happening to me everyday now, and I'm quite honestly a bit scared. I'm scared of myself. I'm scared that I'll have an uncontrollable urge that I can't fight off, and I'll grab my Xacto knife and start carving at my skin.
Now moving on, I recently got hired as a volunteer at a summer camp. I'm only 13, but my parents thought it would be good for me to move up in life. They thought it might also help me with my major depression, and my severe social anxiety; to which I won't argue with them at all. I think facing your fears (social anxiety), is a very good thing to do in my case.
The problem is, I have scars on my arms and legs going up the front of them. I don't tend to wear shorts, bathing suits, etc. It's summer right now, and as most people know, it's obviously hot in the summer. I have a hard time with this because I can't wear long sleeves as much. I alone prefer long sleeves more in some cases, but where I'll be working and running with kids all day, so I can't put on long sleeves as much. (My style of clothing is also 'punk' or 'grunge', so most of my clothes consist of darker colours, which of course, attract heat...)
So, what's your opinion on this? I'm afraid that if I wear short sleeves at the camp, the counclers will think I'm dangerous, and force me never to come back. I've heard of that kind of thing happening before; where someone who self-harms gets kicked out of a workplace because they can't be trusted not to hurt themseleves or employees, or pose as a threat to people, etc.
Now moving on, I recently got hired as a volunteer at a summer camp. I'm only 13, but my parents thought it would be good for me to move up in life. They thought it might also help me with my major depression, and my severe social anxiety; to which I won't argue with them at all. I think facing your fears (social anxiety), is a very good thing to do in my case.
The problem is, I have scars on my arms and legs going up the front of them. I don't tend to wear shorts, bathing suits, etc. It's summer right now, and as most people know, it's obviously hot in the summer. I have a hard time with this because I can't wear long sleeves as much. I alone prefer long sleeves more in some cases, but where I'll be working and running with kids all day, so I can't put on long sleeves as much. (My style of clothing is also 'punk' or 'grunge', so most of my clothes consist of darker colours, which of course, attract heat...)
So, what's your opinion on this? I'm afraid that if I wear short sleeves at the camp, the counclers will think I'm dangerous, and force me never to come back. I've heard of that kind of thing happening before; where someone who self-harms gets kicked out of a workplace because they can't be trusted not to hurt themseleves or employees, or pose as a threat to people, etc.
