A Trich-y Situation

I am a 27-year-old Classicist turned Librarian & Web Developer, a Science Fiction junkie, and a 17 year eyelash and eyebrow pulling veteran. It is my hope that this collection of tips, strategies, and recovery techniques may help aid or support you in your own Trich journey.

[dailyhealthyliving-deactivated2]

[atrichysituation]

Technology Sabbath

A friend of mine recently posted about a lifestyle change he's attempting called a Technology Sabbath.  Inspired by the Sabbath Manifesto project, the goal is to take a day (or even part of day) each week and commit to turning off all technology and disconnecting from the beehive that has become our current daily norm.

About the Manifesto (taken from the site linked above):

The Sabbath Manifesto was developed in the same spirit as the Slow Movement, slow food, slow living, by a small group of artists, writers, filmmakers and media professionals who, while not particularly religious, felt a collective need to fight back against our increasingly fast-paced way of living. The idea is to take time off, deadlines and paperwork be damned.

In the Manifesto, we’ve adapted our ancestors’ rituals by carving out one day per week to unwind, unplug, relax, reflect, get outdoors, and get with loved ones. The ten principles are to be observed one day per week, from sunset to sunset. We invite you to practice, challenge and/or help shape what we’re creating.

The Ten Principles:

1. Avoid Technology.

2. Connect with loved ones.

3. Nurture your health.

4. Get outside.

5. Avoid commerce.

6. Light candles.

7. Drink wine.

8. Eat bread.

9. Find silence.

10. Give back.

I became interested in this concept primarily because I notice that times when I am casually browsing the Internet or playing on some app on my phone are frequently some of my worst pulling times.  Certainly, above all else, disconnecting for a little while each week and focusing on something analog (a book, exercise, good conversation) should bring some needed relaxation and stress relief, which can only ever be a good thing.  As the site indicates, you can choose to disconnect from all technology or only those which you deem necessary for you to achieve your desired level of separation.

I think I'm going to try my own Technology Sabbath on Sundays for the foreseeable future and see how it works out.  Has anyone else tried any variation of a technology disconnect (or even the Sabbath Manifesto itself) and if so, how did it go?

[atrichysituation]

Thanks for the follow :) I've been struggling with Trich for 14 years now. Something that has helped me strange as it seems is faux eyelashes! the anxiety of others finding out I wear falsies, overwhelms the anxiety that compels me to pull them out!

No problem -- I've actually had a lot of success using faux lashes as well! They help me keep some sense of sensation in the area which tends to help me not pull. I usually trim them down pretty good first though so they're less obviously fake, which helps them stay on for me better as well. Best of luck! <3

[atrichysituation]

Musings on Makeup & Science Fiction

There's an idea I've been toying around with for awhile, and I'm curious if anyone in the Trich community at large has done much experimentation with it.  I'm no stranger to using fake eyelashes/eyeliner in attempts to camouflage my lack of lashes and eyebrows, but it occurs to me (perhaps after watching far too many campy dystopian Science Fiction movies) that rather than try to use makeup to draw attention away from those features or to make them look "normal", why not play them up? Maybe the key is to stop trying to pretend to look normal, and make the normal people jealous.

It seems to me that in Science Fiction and Fantasy some of the most venerated characters (frequently of different species/fantastical cultures) either have no eyelashes/eyebrows or extremely outlandish and atypical hair shapes and colors supplemented by vibrant and bold makeup, and mainstream society both accepts it without question and frequently tries to duplicate some of the looks at conventions and the like.

So, I'm thinking, why not have fun with the whole thing instead of just stressing upon stressing.  Maybe acceptance and (gasp!) having some fun with it all is the first step towards actual recovery and just maybe the lack of stress alone and altered worldview would reduce the pulling urges?  And if not, at least you'll look like a badass.

Rather than recycle the same old New Years Resolution of "Stop Pulling out my hair," I think I'm going to try something new this year: Make a statement.  Go against the grain, but in an awesome avant garde way that only a true blank canvas could highlight.

My new resolution?  

Be bold enough to get stared at for a better reason.

Personal photos to follow after I've acquired some new supplies.  If anyone else feels like trying it out, I'd love to see your own creations too!

[atrichysituation]

Grown-ups don't look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they're big and thoughtless and they always know what they're doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. Truth is, there aren't any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world.

Neil Gaiman - The Ocean at the End of the Lane

[atrichysituation]

App Review: Everest

One thing that I have found severely lacking in the Trichotillomania world are tools to successfully help people track their progress via an online web application or a smartphone app.  While it's certainly not perfectly tailored for use with Trich, I have been having some success lately with the Everest app and thought I'd share.

The interface is pretty clean, and I really like the fact that you can set your own steps in your own words.  For something like Trich, I find the push notifications helpful and not too overwhelming or intrusive (usually they only send one once/day, but you can turn them off also).  Instead of just tracking "1 day pull free" you can record a step you took to help you be pull free, or be less stressed, or whatever your personal goal might be, which I think is a better way to think about the process overall.

I also like the idea for Trich sufferers that you set the goal as your personal "Everest" even if you have additional goals you want to track. I feel like that's a very appropriate sentiment and not a bad mindset to help with motivation.  You can also "like" others' goals and steps by marking them as inspiring, or see steps other people have taken on similar goals as ways to inspire yourself.

Overall, it's a solid app design with definite potential for use by Trich sufferers in the wake of other options.

Limitations: iPhone compatible only

[atrichysituation]

oh my goodness, your blog is just incredible! i have a feeling i'll be reading all night. thank you so much!!

Happy to help, glad you find it useful!! Best of luck!! :)

[atrichysituation]

Katy's Trichotillomania Pull-Free-A-Thon to Support TLC

For almost 13 years now I have struggled with Trichotillomania, which is a obsessive-compulsive/anxiety disorder that compels people to pull out their own hair. For me, it has been contained to my eyebrows and eyelashes, but some people have compulsions so strong that they have large bald patche...

[atrichysituation]

I just wanted to let you know that Lumosity actually works quite well! I've been having a relapse but it got much better after I tried it out. They also have a deal right now where it's only five bucks a month for a year!

Good to know, thanks! :)

[love-being-living]

[atrichysituation]

The Kender Diet

So, for me, there has always been one fairly well-discussed approach to Trich recovery that I've never really attempted, and that's the Kender diet.  I've typically avoided it because many foods it has you phase out are some of my absolute favorites (which sort of just validates the potential truth behind the theory...), and I've always been unwilling to really try and give it a go.  With all the success I've had lately eliminating soda completely from my diet to help with my running, I've decided it's finally time to give it a shot.

For those who may not know, the back story is that John Kender developed the diet via a series of trial and error tests to help his Trichster daughter, theorizing that the main impetus behind the pulling was food-allergen related.

A quote from Kender: "In general, my hypothesis is that it may be that people inclined to TTM have a natural biochemistry irreversibly inclined towards certain allergic reactions. They are allergic to a normal yeast (Malessizia sp.) that is found in the skin and gut of virtually everyone, but they react to it with itching and irritation and a need to remove the allergen."

Basically, there is a list of good and bad foods that have been vetted over the years from Kender's own experience and online surveys and various Trichsters weighing in.  For me, the biggest ones on the bad list are caffeine, sugar, chocolate, and peanuts, and I think I eat enough of them on a weekly basis that it's worth a try to cut them out.  Most sites recommend trying to stick with it for at least 1-2 months to try and fully regulate your body and adapt to the system.  I think for me, the biggest key to success will be trying to substitute various things for peanut butter/peanuts and chocolate in granola bars and things like that.  I'll keep everyone updated on my progress!

For reference, the generally accepted Kender diet list is as follows:

[atrichysituation]

Impulse Control Training

So, as promised, I wanted to do a post on a new tactic I've been trying lately I'm calling Impulse Control Training.  One of the staples of Trich treatment options has to do with Habit Reversal Training which deals with the repetitive nature aspect of the behavior, but at it's underlying core Trich is all about our inability to resist the impulse coming from our brain telling us to pull.

And the brain, like an other muscle, can be trained and improved with various exercises.  I saw an advertisement on TV the other day for the site called Lumosity, which offers brain training exercises typically meant to improve intellect and response time and things like that, however, I was intrigued by the concept and the ways it could be applied to Trich.

I went onto the site to check it out, and it turns out they have several games specifically devoted to impulse control.  And while, admittedly, at first it seems like it wouldn't be related (they're games where for example the word "blue" is written in red ink and you have to say whether the color matches the word), when you really think about it all stems from the same behavior.  The resistance of an almost unconscious impulse to act in a certain way, or in this case, select a certain answer based on a spur of the moment impulse.  And for me at least, usually if I can get past that very first initial impulse I do a better job holding off on the pulling behavior for a longer period of time.  So, I've been trying it out.  On the Lumosity site you have to pay to do more than a few games per day, but I've been looking online for other similar exercises.  Has anyone else tried anything similar, or know of any good sites with similar impulse control games?

[atrichysituation]

Help us help each other!

My friend and I started a support group for hair pullers. It's like a safe-zone chat room. We want everyone to spread the word!! Here is the info!! Please encourage fellow trichsters to reblog!

http://tinychat.com/hairpullers

This is a support group for sufferers, inquirers, former trichsters, friends of trichsters, and anyone else who is looking for a safe place to talk about trichotillomania. We are here for you and we support you. Main mods are banana and hsalami.

Please come check it out, no sign-up necessary. Last night we had about 8 people in there. It was great! Sometimes nobody is in there, but I will try my hardest to be in there as much as possible. If nobody is in there, please come back.

If you like it, make an account, follow the page, and feel free to come chat whenever you want! :)

[atrichysituation]

Day 15 - Some set backs and some new ideas So, my no makeup plan worked for about a week and a half or so before I just started getting used to it and it stopped having as much of an effect. That said, I did make significant progress on my eyebrows even if my eyelashes are pretty much back to square one. I have some light eye brow makeup on here but the beginning parts is all actual hair, first time in a year. In re-thinking my approach yet again, I have come across some new techniques that I've been having luck with, namely impulse control training. It's totally different from habit reversal training, and it's really been working for me these last two days in a totally different way than just inspiring me to have willpower. So, since I want to do the idea justice I'm going to do a whole separate post on it here in a few so stay tuned.

[atrichysituation]

This isn't a question, just a thank you. Thanks for helping people with trich! It means a lot to all of us. Really. As someone whose been pulling at my eyelashes and eyebrows for 8 years, it means a lot to see fellow sufferers help each other.

Thanks! :)  I appreciate it, and it's been very helpful for me as well to get to be part of the Tumblr trich community so it's really a win-win!

[christianpraise]

[atrichysituation]

I've been pulling since the first grade and am now currently 17 and I've never been able to stop, it's my eyelashes and eyebrows and I always cover up with make up. I try to hide it. I want to get better though. How do you manage to resist the urge?

Hi there! So far for me it's been really a collaboration of things that's helped me resist day to day urges, accountability and will power being the most effective to be honest. I used to use acrylic nails, but I've recently stopped biting my nails so I don't frequently have those on any more. Activities to keep your hands busy never really worked well for me, but some people swear by knitting and special bracelets you can play with throughout the day. I've found recently that heat in various forms does a lot to calm me and bring me out of the more catatonic pull sessions, so I'll either go wash my face with a face wash with micro beads in it (the sensation helps me overcome that physical itch) or take a bath with some aromatherapy salts if I'm at home and the heat tends to really calm me down and distract me from pulling. Not sure if it would work for others, but worth mentioning! Best of luck!! <3