by Cordelia Riordan

Created on: November 07, 2008

Scars can be either physical or emotional and mental, and some people have both. Some scars are inflicted by others, but some are self-inflicted.

I, myself, have many scars - both emotional scars and physical ones. I will be frank - most of my physical scars are self-inflicted but my emotional scars are not. My emotional scars were caused by many sources, many of which I will never delve into in a frank and public reflection. However, I know I'm not the only person who has scars. Every person's scars are caused by different people and different events, yet scars affect everyone regardless of their origins.

I have scars all over my body - many from self-mutilation, but some from things like falls during childhood, a broken leg, chickenpox, having my gallbladder removed, and other things. I have many emotional scars that still negatively affect me to this day, and some of them are as old as I am and date back to early childhood.

Some people are lucky enough that they see their scars as a positive thing and they enjoy having those scars. Those are usually not scars created through self-mutilation or medical procedures. All scars are proof of a rough time in a person's life - or even a rough lifetime, however, it's just dependent upon how a person views their scars. Personally, I wish I could view my scars as a good thing, as a sign that I'm tough and able to take on the world. I envy those who view their scars - gained by any means - as a positive thing, a thing to show off. Meanwhile, I hide mine away and try to pretend they don't exist.

Scars never go away, emotional or physical. They can fade, but they will never go away completely. The trick is to help them heal and prevent them from festering and getting infected while they're still wounds. Physically, it's obvious how to prevent that from happening. Proper cleaning, bandages, and monitoring of the healing are all it takes to keep a physical wound from becoming infected. Sometimes physical wounds don't scar, even. Emotionally, it's not so obvious or so easy.

I am still searching for a way to deal with the emotional wounds that have scarred over in a mangled and twisted mockery of healing. The way I used to deal with them - by causing physical scars - is no longer ideal. However, I must realize that no scars will leave completely; I am a survivor, so I know they'll simply be scars, and no more, in the end. This is the case for everyone, thankfully.

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