THESE ARE SOME OF THE WORDS THAT ONE YOUNG ADULT USED TO DESCRIBE WHAT IT CAN FEEL LIKE TO LIVE WITH A BURN INJURY.
Transition Stories“I was ready for the next step in my burns care”
Where to get help?
It is really normal to feel up and down as a young adult, especially if you consider all the challenges highlighted above! If you are finding that you are struggling with your self-confidence and how to cope with these new challenges, there is help out there. Here are some suggestions:
- Although it can be hard it is usually better to talk to someone you trust about how you are feeling, rather than keeping it all inside. Do you have a close friend or parent you can try talking to?
- You could talk to one of the nurses in your burns team. They might suggest that you meet with the clinical psychologist in your service. They are trained to work with people who are struggling to cope with a change to their appearance, however big or small.
- The charity Changing Faces is a really useful source of information and support for individuals who have had a change in their appearance of any kind. They have information leaflets you can download to help you think about how to manage difficult questions, staring and how to communicate more confidently in social situations, job interviews or in new relationships. They have an interactive on-line resource to help you develop some new skills to manage situations you might feel uncomfortable about.
- If you are not linked in with a burns service you could make an appointment with your GP. Your GP may suggest referring you back to the burns service, or may be able to refer you to other local sources of support.
There are also lots of websites and charities that have some great information and offer advice and support:
Burn or appearance specific websites and charities
A charity for people and families who are living with conditions, marks or scars that affect their appearance.
www.katiepiperfoundation.org.uk
A national charity that aims to help people with burns and scars to reconnect with their lives and their communities.
A national charity offering practical help to burns survivors in the UK. The charity identifies those most in need of help and provides it in a swift and practical way.
A national charity dedicated to providing rehabilitation support for burned and scald injured children and their families as well as prevention and awareness campaigns, for which there is little or no national funding.
Websites addressing issues common to young people
www.bullying.co.uk
Provides a wealth of resources for parents and children to help to understand why people bully, how that can affect you and what support is available. There is an online support forum and information about how to deal with bullying at work, school and online along with specific advice about bullying in relation to homophobia, race, sex and disabilities.
ChildLine is a service which is provided by the NSPCC. The ChildLine website has content written directly for children and young people. The website covers an extensive range of topics from your rights as a child and young person to physical and mental health information, bullying with access to an online forum as well as counselling and advice.
Created by young people for young people, the Rise Above website aims to build emotional resilience in individuals aged 11 to 16 by equipping them with the skills and knowledge they need to make informed decisions, and help deal with the pressures of growing up.
The website provides information about the Samaritans helpline and their work in the community, schools and the workplace. Their helpline is available for anyone to call when they need to talk things through, it is a confidential service provided 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
FRANK helps you find out everything you might want to know about drugs (and some stuff you don’t). A friendly confidential helpline for anyone in the UK concerned about drug use. Questions can be posted via online submissions; it also provides news, leaflets as well as other information for teachers and parents.
YoungMinds is the UK’s leading charity committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people. The website provides information and advice for children, parents and teachers and a helpline for parents.
Websites focusing on your rights, benefits and living well!
The Citizens Advice Bureau ‘Advice Guide’ provides information on the employment rights and regulations affecting young people, regarding pay, conditions and the kind of work you are legally entitled to undertake at what age.
www.gov.uk/browse/benefits
This website has detailed information on all the benefits which are available from the government, when and how they are paid and the rules surrounding entitlement for particular types of benefits such as: jobseekers allowance, income support, tax credits, child benefit and student finance.
This website has an array of articles, videos and tools from the NHS on more than 100 topics, including alcohol, diet, fitness, tiredness and weight loss, giving you and your family valuable tips on how to live a healthier, happier life.