Trichotillomania

The Struggle

When you have Trichotillomania, everything is a struggle. From trying not to pull, to hiding bald spots/lack of eyebrows or eyelashes, to feeling confident in public. Not just internal struggles though. There are many social struggles that come with it.

I honestly have no idea what causes Trichotillomania. I hasn't been proven. But I do know the effects it can have on someone's life. Trichsters can become very paranoid about their hair. Many of them will be in the bathroom for hours doing makeup and fixing their hair, trying to hide the damage from their last pulling episode. If they are walking through a grocery store they could be thinking about how they look in every aisle, especially in the freezer section when they can feel the cold breeze on their bald spots.

Some people with trichotillomania have a hard time loving themselves. Even though they look great with all this makeup and these cover-ups they know what they look like when they take it all off. They can't see the beauty that is still there. It is there, you just need to look at the big picture and stop focusing on the imperfections. The happiest people in life focus on what they have. The saddest people focus on what they're missing.

This internal struggle can be so difficult to pull away from, but it isn't impossible. Once you learn to love yourself then you can start to let the world love you.

Some people don't know what this is and don't understand. Don't be sad or upset if someone makes an inappropriate comment regarding your lack of hair. Just teach them a lesson, literally. Educate them. Let them know about what trichotillomania is and that, yes, you suffer from it. If they continue to make inappropriate comments then they aren't worth your time because they will never understand. Pick yourself up and carry on. Show yourself that these little things in life won't keep you down. Find someone who will love you no matter what you look like. Find someone who will love you the same or more than you love yourself. When I say love I don't necessarily mean in a romantic way. I mean friendship. You don't know who's out there until you look.

If anyone ever needs to talk to someone about trichotillomania, to encourage them or if you have any questions, just ask me. I love talking about it and it doesn't make me uncomfortable. 

I hope this book is helping or will help anyone struggling with Trich or someone who wants to learn more about it.