If you’ve been keeping up with me recently, things have been going a little more smoothly. I have a better handle on my triggers & using tools proactively.
Today, however, was not one of those days. I let some frustration and stress get to me. Maybe a little fear sprinkled over with a bit of overwhelmed on top.
I wish this weren’t the case, but I also know that it was just one day, and compared to other bad days, I still did better. Tomorrow is new and after some sleep, I will try again.
How do you encourage yourself after (or during!) a rough patch?
“How do you encourage yourself after (or during!) a rough patch?”
That’s a big point!
How?
Yesterday, I was really upsed when I found out that my prognosis was poor, (written by a dermatologist – peer reviewed e-medicine), because my thich is late onset. He said – it was written that is very uncommon that an adult would have recovery. I was crying and crying -crying a river. Pulling like crazy, when then, I thought – I need to change this! I need to stop. I can’t live like this for the rest of my life! It can’t be true. I can’t accept it. Then I don’t know…. But I refuse to accept this, and then I simply quit. And became calm.
Thank you for your blog. I just found it.
((i can’t log in at trich world — noway to be accepted there.))
B.
I think giving yourself some time to just accept what is going on is crucial. I’ve been at it so long, that I don’t really ever consider that I’ll be truly done with trich. If I can just get to the point that I can wear my hair naturally again, I will be happy. But really, to keep myself going I have to focus on using my tools & congratulate myself on that rather than focusing on how whether I’m pulling or not. Concentrating on the pulling doesn’t work for me. I know that if I’m doing a good job at using my tools, it automatically will lead to less pulling. So if I’m having a rough day, I just decide that I’ll try again tomorrow.
In addition, try to find a psychologist or counselor near you who is skilled in cognitive behavioral therapy, and who hopefully has better information than your dermatologist. They can help you to become more aware and set up a program that will work for you to try and beat your urges. It won’t always be easy and you may slip. You HAVE to give yourself grace on those days and agree (with yourself) that you’ll pick up & try again tomorrow. Please do email me if you have further questions.