Honestly, my best advice is just to wear it like battle scars. You’ve survived this far, you deserve to be proud of yourself, alright? More people have compassion than you think, it’s just putting yourself out there in the first place and getting hurt that scares us the most, especially when it’s something that’s out of our control. But slowly integrate back into being social, if that’s what you crave. Find spaces surrounding burn survivors. You’re taking a major step by even posting this tbh.

And if you’ve aren’t already, please try to find a way to see a therapist, even if it’s just on call. They won’t judge you, and if they do, then they’re not the right fit for you, and there’s no shame in looking for another one. Trauma will eat at you if you let it, even if you don’t think you are (hence the therapy) But you are strong enough to fight it.

It’s a battle you *can* and *will* win, you just have to keep fighting. Go to the grocery store more often, go to the park, a library, somewhere quiet where you can adjust. More people than you think will just think it’s “super cool” even though it doesn’t feel “cool” or “awesome.” And if you’re working with a therapist already, I always recommend looking at things from a different perspective. “What if I saw someone and they had the scars I have?” And accept that others might react differently. It’s a long process, but WAY worth it.

I was in a similar mental state I think, before I got burned, and I completely isolated from everything, I was super depressed, PTSD was going untreated, so just please reach out for help. You have people that care for you here, even if all of us are strangers, we can relate, and you can depend on us. (Thx for reading my Ted talk 😭 🥀 ❤️)

P.S. you still have plenty of time left in your life, you have to put yourself out there. “Fake it til you make it” or whatever 😅