Being asked to cover up sh scars

[I Me & Myself]

To start off. I am not insecure about my self harm scars. I think they are kind of cool. I do not like self harm tho, it's something I struggle to control (but I am getting a lot better!) : Dermatillomania.

Aka compulsive scratching of skin/wounds/around hair follicles

I just got discharged from the psychiatry today (yay!) and since my stay there was very stressful and I had nothing to do 90% of the time my Dermatillomania flared up. The staff helped me manage it.

Now, my legs are a battlefield of scars and still healing wounds. I do not mind that. I am not insecure about it (atp am I trying to convince you, or myself?)

Anyway my flatmate knows this. He has visited me in the psychiatry before and seen this.

Today, we talked at home. And he asked me if I can wear long pants at home. I said yes, of course.

Now, he is not mentally in a good place either and I totally understand the discomfort/trigger my scars present to him. And yet, I fear, it's the one push towards me becoming insecure of this.... The fact that my body can make someone worse from just looking at it.

Further context: I wear shorts 24/7 all year round even on the coldest days of winter which go to around -15°C. I love wearing shorts. I own exactly one pair of long pants, and those are sweat pants because certain bedsheets are a Sensory nihtmare for me so I use them to sleep.

I'm not upset at him. I'm upset at the situation and I can feel it messing with my head....

I won't be home for a bit after tomorrow. 1½ weeks, to be precise. And at some part I am gonna move to a group home. But it's just messing with my head.

I don't mind wearing long pants! I like my sweats. And yet. Ugh. It's like, when you normally do something by yourself but then someone asks you to do it and then you can't do it anymore.

 

[tonicer]

Sounds like your flatmate likes you and doesn't want to be remembered all the time that you harm yourself. Kinda sweet in my opinion. I wish i had someone besides my mother who looks out for me. If i would see a good friends scars all the time it would make me feel unwell too.

 

[BearTreadingWater]

I don't have any helpful advice to offer, i know things can be even more frustrating when you're clearly seeing it from your flatmate's perspecrive too.

Just wanted to say hi from someone else who wears shorts 24/7 outside but sweat pants to bed. Nobody else seems to understand it!

I hope you and your flatmate voth find a way to live comfortably without this affecting either of you