Habit Reversal and Tackling TTM.
03:05
Habit Reversal Techniques I am willing to try:
So as you may have heard from my previous video post, I went through therapy trying many techniques, at the time it was not successful or it worked for a while, I gave up and relapsed. However, almost a decade has past since I had therapy and I want to motivate myself to stop, I just can't go on living my life like this, I'm anxious, lack confidence and it restricts me in so many ways. I avoid mirrors at all costs when I am alone because if I don't see the problem it doesn't exist, not to mention I am sick of cleaning huge amounts of hair on my floor on the regular. I am a perfectionist when it comes to my appearance so for me this is rather debilitating and counterproductive. 
I'm currently researching into it and in the past my therapist recommended me a book she was using for point of reference by Fred Penzel, I personally didn't find it useful then, but I wish I had taken it with me from back home to read over it again. It had tables and techniques, keeping a diary was one of them (this blog). Luckily, I will request my dad to bring over the book for me when he comes over next year. I've also been looking on Amazon for other resources and found a book and a hypnotherapy CD that has gotten some great reviews I am willing to try.
I am also very much interested in using "fiddles" stuff to keep my hands busy, the fidget cube, tangle toys, stress toys, spinner rings, you name it I want to try it. I do realise I fiddle a lot sub-consciously, I used to bite my nails all the time actually (now its not such a common occurrence).
Techniques I have tried:
As I have mentioned in my last post, I've tried the elastic band method and yes although I do harm myself with TTM, the pain of an elastic band snapping on your skin is really not fun and basically because it hurts I stopped using it. I was also told to keep a diary, to record what time I pulled, how much, how I was feeling and to see if I could pinpoint the times I was mostly like to pull and the causes for it, in hope that identifying these factors could help.
Other techniques we came up with together :
- Wear gloves like the ones you wear for when you apply lotion to your hands.
- Wearing hats/scarves to act as a barrier.
- Wetting my hair so I couldn't grab the hair.
- Hiding tweezers, this one is self-explanatory.
- Playing the guitar/ making myself busy when I felt the urge.
- Sit on my hands, count and breathe until the urge would go away
- Meditation (I never tried this one)
Needless to say they failed, I mean I wouldn't be here on my blog expressing my concerns over this condition If I was cured would I? But maybe failure is the wrong word, I've relapsed countless times I don't remember how many, but I wouldn't say it was a real relapse, I just went a few months without pulling and hair grew to a good length and thickness, (nothing public worthy, but for me was a huge achievement at the time.)
Despite the never ending cycle with fighting with my inner demons, I think I owe it to myself as a full grown adult to grasp and attempt to conquer this. I will not let Trich define me, rather me define it.
Peace, Love and Positivity.
Cherry x
0 comments