GENDER
female
AGE
17
NAME
Bianca
” When I first got burnt I was 9 years old so I am so used the child ward”
BACKGROUND
When I first got burnt I was 9 years old so I am used to the child ward. I knew all the nurses and then when I started seeing a counsellor they saw me on the children’s ward. When she left I turned 18 I started seeing a new counsellor I was told that I would see her on the adult ward and I was that terrified going from a place I felt safe where I knew everyone to a place I didn’t know many people. I was also really worried about the thought of having to open up to another counsellor but then after time went on I started to feel so much more comfortable talking to her.
I was so scared of the thought of going to college then getting a job because I suffer from anxiety and so doing new things is the sort of thing that I struggle with. I thought to myself that I can’t not do things just because I am scared. I hate the thought of my anxiety getting the better of me so I told myself that I could do these sort of things. I went for interviews … then once I got in there, there was the fact that I would need to interact with new people which was something I struggled. I just kept telling myself that I could do it. Because of that I am now working. I am feeling so much more comfortable in my job and I get on with everyone. The staff were also very welcoming. With these sort of things it is a case of not worrying and trying to jump into it, because once you have you will feel so much better for it. Knowing that I have done this I feel so much more positive and proud as I never thought in a million years that I would be working and speaking to new people, but I am.
My burns have influenced things in my life because I always thought that people would judge me because I am different. I haven’t quite got over this yet. I feel fine around everyone else. Its guys that terrify me the most. I am so scared that if they find out that I have scars that they’re going to look at me so much differently. I know however, if I keep using strategies and have a positive attitude, I will get much better with things like this.