Though it is no substitute for eating broccoli or exercise, keeping a blog or journal can be good for you! One of the benefits of our internet-based culture is the ability to interact with others, whether they are around the corner or across the globe. This can be especially valuable to burn survivors and their families who may feel isolated during the long recovery from their injuries. The Burn Foundation blog offers a safe, attentive environment where burn survivors can interact with one another, ask questions, or just share their feelings about a rough day. By telling your story, you are helping others who may be going through similar feelings and circumstances.

Since the times of Ancient Greece, people have recognized the special power of stories: they have the ability to inspire, engage, and motivate change for both the listener and the teller. In our own day, the telling of stories has evolved to online forums and blogging.
With e-mail, facebook, and blog sites, anyone can communicate their story. Unlike print, with virtual publications there is the possibility of feedback from a reader. 

According to the Journal of Happiness Studies, the process of narrating your own story helps you develop and experience greater life satisfaction. By distilling personal incidents into stories, we are interpreting the experience to become more comprehensible. Stories help us analyze and make the most from what has happened or is happening to us. Social psychologists have shown that stories can help us make sense of our experiences; we learn things along the way by forcing us to put experience in a broader perspective. Most importantly, storytelling links the circumstances of life to real emotions that enable awareness, growth, and change. Please take advantage of this opportunity to share your experience, benefit others, and improve your wellbeing.

Burn survivors can gain significant benefits from telling their stories.  A blog or journal helps make sense of experience and discover what things aid in coping.  It can assist you in learning about yourself and how you react to things, while helping others to learn about themselves.  Introduce yourself on the Burn foundation blog and get to know a whole new world of possibilities for interaction, healing and growth.