What feelings are in your heart today? Since trichsters live much of their lives 'inside their own minds', there's a pretty strong probability that whatever thoughts you are entertaining in your mind are driving the feelings that are within your heart.
Since one's internal feelings drive their external actions, it becomes vital to practice 'HeartCore Inspirational Thinking'. Commonly known as cognitive restructuring in clinical circles, cognitive restructuring often works amazingly well, especially with consistent application of the process and, sometimes, in combination with a pharmacological regimen.* Further, it is readily available with the simple flick of the mind's 'thought switch'. For instance, if one's thinking is focused upon negative thoughts, it's simple to know that one's actions will, most probably, land on negative turf. Flip that 'thought switch' from negative to positive and, nearly instantaneously, the world flickers a brighter, lighter flame.
Need more to prompt your mind to 'flick the switch'? Try viewing photos~! Most people are 'visual learners and responders'. Therefore, pictures, photos, words of positivities are so powerful they can, potentially, engage one's mind immediately! This is especially true if one has a COMMITTED investment in 'wanting to switch thinking'. Stop the negative, engage the POSITIVE~! Create, via your thinking, the chemical concoction you want your brain to produce. For the brain, a miraculous gift we are given, will send these messages to your heart in the form of feelings.
We CHOOSE what we do or do not think. The greater positive thinking we employ, the less anxiety and depression we hold within our beings. We can train ourselves to actually 'control' the anxiety and depression.** Thus, the less the obsessive thinking lent to 'pulling' BECOMES the less one 'pulls' compulsively.
Make that choice to think positively. Realize that it takes practice. LOTS of practice to create positive thinking and to sustain positive thinking ongoing. Step by step; babysteps. And be plentiful in the rewards you give to yourself for each and every time you break the cycle of negative thinking, thus perhaps averting a 'session' of pulling~! Know that BABYSTEPS are what produce desired results. And to advance one step further what Ms. Ellen Degeneres says regularly, 'Be Kind to One Another.....And that Includes YOURSELF~!'
* None of the materials suggested are intended to be of a clinical nature nor with medical advisement.
** Please note that medications may be necessary to control anxiety and depression. It is strongly suggested that one who experiences prolonged periods of these would be wise to seek counsel from a medical professional. To not do so, may only set one's self up for failure, even to become medically compromised. "Pull yourself up by the boot straps" does not work if one, in reality, is experiencing a medical condition, needing treatment via medical practitioner.
"HeartCore Inspirations"; one more method to 'trick the trich'~!
J.T. Bean
Hi J.T. Bean, I wrote an article a while ago for Young Minds ( http://www.youngminds.org.uk/news/blog/769_what_its_like_to_live_with_trichotillomania ) and while looking for some help with a recent trichy situation stumbled back across it and found your incredibly encouraging comment. It led me to this fab blog, and I'm so glad it did!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had more to say to encourage fellow trichsters with their own journeys, but am need of some advice of my own! My pull site has recently migrated from being primarily scalp based to my left eyebrow. As you have been a brow puller yourself, is there anything you can suggest to help with this particular site?
I thought I'd been doing so well with my scalp, but I'm finding the hairless patch on my eyebrow hard to cover! I have recently moved house and all of my uni friends have spread out across the country after graduation, so I imagine that it was this extra stress that set me off again.
Becky
Hi, Becky,
DeleteThanks for returning to trickytrichy.blogspot.com ~!
Just re-read your article that you wrote and left a comment for you. As I read it again, I noted several areas that you pointed out assist you in controlling your trich. I also noted that in your recent post here, some of these very important mechanisms you employ to 'control the trich' are missing. CHANGE has happened in your life......and it appears your eyebrow is taking the brunt of the stress now present within you.
First, you mentioned your change in relation to many of your friends "spreading out" now due to graduation! Second, you mentioned your walks were becoming less frequent, thus you are more sedentary.
Third, you voiced concern because now it appears that your 'choice of pulling' is widening~! Now, you are also focusing on your eyebrow.
As you know, any time there is change in our lives, our responses to change are critically important. You've had some exciting (graduation) changes, yet in the process, you've 'lost' closeness of your friends, thus leaving you 'more solo' and with a lesser support system. So? Perhaps it's a good time to initiate meeting some new folks. That may happen simply by virtue of your life after graduation now bringing new people into your life. Possibly via a new job, new places of interest you attend.....new venues where you can meet others and, once again, 'grow' your support system. Growing and gaining new folks into your life will, inevitably, keep you more busy! That's a very good thing, as you well know, Becky!
It's proven over and over via solid, medical research, exercise is our friend. It assists in keeping us not only busy and healthy, but it produces endorphins, those very important brain chemicals that enhance our ability to remain relaxed, calm and balanced. Sounds like your time schedule has changed and you've 'lost' that usual walk time. Developing a new plan of how you are going to integrate either a walk or some sort of exercise into your life once again is really key. So? Sounds like you need to get creative and figure out a plan as to how you are going to, once again, reinstate a viable, productive exercise regimen. Preferably, that would include the beauty you describe of your outdoor walking, giving you not only health and brain chemistry gains, but permits your mind to relax and let your creative self become 'open', feeling that goodness of beauty, embracing it within your Being.
(continue to read for 2nd part of this post.....this is Part 1)
Hi, Becky
DeletePart 2 here to continue above post......
Ahhh! The eyebrow and your 'traveling' to new sites. Pulling and rubbing at my eyebrow was a very convenient area for me because, as I was doing much reading (sedentary activity), it made it very convenient to very unnoticeably from others, be 'doing my trich' routine! Are you more sedentary now? Have you changed jobs and perhaps are having to read more? Are you doing my little 'trick' of reading, but also engaging in my 'tricky trich eyebrow rubbing'???
Being present. Being aware. Controlling the urge via cognitive restructuring and modifying your behavior seem needed. Perhaps when you note yourself rubbing or pulling at this 'new area' (or anywhere), simply get up, walk around, change the brain chemistry via even just slight movement (kinesiology focuses heavily on this), restructure cognitively by identifying a plan of action that simply says to yourself,"I'm NOT going to pull". Not my head. Not my eyebrow. Not anywhere. Perhaps change your activity to a different activity.....???
Bottomline: You CAN do it! You CAN control the pulling! Manage the stress. Don't let yourself escalate because 'now you've found a new area to pull and/or rub'. It's all one and the same, regardless of what area(s) you carry out your pulling routine because ......it's ALL still trich.
Often, that's what we need to do. Take an assessment of 'what has changed in our life'? Then figure out what has perhaps changed for the better. What has changed for the negative. Create that plan of action~!
Keep in touch, Becky! "Trick the trich. Don't let IT trick YOU~!"
'til next time,
J.T. Bean