For each new year as long I can remember, I have resolved to stop pulling my hair. The mere fact that this blog exists suggests I’ve never been able to keep this resolution. Even as I type this post, I am intermittently reaching for my scalp, ready to extract a juicy root sheath. At some points, it’s hard to continue to care about what my hair looks like since it’s not looked normal for so long.

I have spent the last decade pulling out my hair, being distressed about pulling out my hair, and pulling out more hair. If I can’t control the hair pulling, i can at least attempt to control my distress. This year, 2020, I’d like to stop being so hard on myself. Maybe if I am able to better reflect on my pulling and on my emotions, I will be able to step away from or to intellectualize my worries and stop them in their tracks.

Something that I’ve noticed that helps with my trichotillomania is keeping it at the forefront of my mind. When I forget about it as an “issue” or “problem”, I tend to mindlessly do it more. In some ways, reflection on having trichotillomania is an exercise in self discovery and mindfulness. Because blogging about trichotillomania and my struggles with it will keep it on the forefront of my mind, I intend to commit to blogging about it and reflecting on different aspects of it at least three times per month for the next year.

Have you guys made trich related resolutions in the past? Have they worked? If not, why didn’t they work?