A Little Bit of Daily Life

This post wont be true for every person with trichotillomania, but it is true in my case.

Little things that happen throughout the day can often cause my trich to act up, and most of the time I won't even notice.

"Well, when you realize that you're pulling you're hair you can stop yourself, right?"

It's not that easy, it varies on my surroundings a lot of the time. Two examples of different settings: if I'm at home by myself and begin to pull my, then it's not very easy to just stop pulling my hair out. However, if I'm at a friend's house and I start pulling my hair out, it's a little easier to stop myself since I know that there are other people around.

Any strong burst of negative emotion can make me feel the need to pull my hair out. Stress, anger, sadness, etc. I'll even start pulling out my hair in the middle of a conversation with a friend from time to time.

It can be easy to overwhelm yourself without even realizing that it's happening. Letting everything build up and add pressure to your daily routine can be pretty hazardous. In my case, I begin to pull hair out at a faster rate than usual when I get overwhelmed.

Trichotillomania is difficult to deal with and usually adds even more stress to daily life, which is really a bummer for us "trichsters," because the last thing we need is more stress.

I would like to share a quote that may help some of you to get a better idea of what it's like having trichotillomania:

"It's stronger than I, she says, this idea, this need is after me all the time. The movement happens by itself, there is something in my arms that pulls me along irresistibly. If I resist I have these irritable and stifling feelings which are totally unbearable, I just have to give into this need ..."
-Dan Stein, Trichotillomania (1999)