Yes winter sucks. I actually get depressed when autumn hits. The difference between a sunny and cloudy day equals a huge change in my mood, as does the difference between a hot or cold day. I'm craving summer.

That is awesome that you are in a place right now where you have broken the automatic pulling behavior! YAAAY! I hope I can get there again!

It is summer over here where I am and while it is hot I like it so much better than the winter. The winter is SO DIFFICULT! (Especially these cold East Coast winters, UGH!) I prefer to live in a place where there are no seasons!

It is awesome, and I know you can get there too, just a little time and patience and loving yourself.

Do you get snow where you are now? A season-less would be great to live in...

0 pulling yesterday :)

Tense movies are such a big trigger for me! Must bring barriers to the movies/keep some in my hands at all times. I think play doh would be a great barrier.

Today has definitely been the worst in the past 2.5 weeks in regards to intensity and frequency of urges. Every time an urge hit I clasped my hands together, fingers laced, and breathed in for 4 beats, hold it for 4 beats, then breathed out for 4 beats. And I repeated that a few times. Quite effective and I think it's a doable habit that can be done almost anywhere.

Great job fighting through those urges!! Your hard work is paying off!

Thanks Manda :)

Zero pulling today. Urges were lower in intensity however I think there was perhaps more automatic reaching and grabbing onto individual hairs action today than previously. I really want to focus on feeling the urge BEFORE my hand raises up to my head.

I'm reading "Pearls - meditating on recovery from hair pulling and skin picking" by Christina Pearson again. She's very much into awareness, acceptance and mindfulness. Here's a quote "The essential element in my recovery process has been the willing cultivation of awareness, at deeper and deeper levels, embracing mindfulness, or the contemplative path, as a way of life. The original goal was to just stop these unwanted behaviors, little did I know my life would be utterly, completely transformed."

Love that quote!

Yeah - that's a good one! I have to read that book!

It is a GREAT book. I feel like I'm in a completely different frame of mind while reading it this time to when I last read it, and I can appreciate it that much more. It's listed at $13.50 on amazon, here's the link http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1452802548?pc_redir=1405492310&robot_redir=1

0 pulling today :) Lots of hand raising to head and hair stroking though. Not stranding though :)

The hand raising to head and hair stroking behavior was something I was NEVER able to control, even when I had zero urges and was pull free for months. It is so hard to break that habit. You are doing great!!

Way to go C!

Same Manda, even when I was pf for almost 3/4 of a year. I know it's possible, but requires practise. I'm trying to practise every day. If I focus on that and not just being pull free, I think it'll be better for me. When I just focus on being pull free and let myself play with my hair. Well it's horrible! Once your hand is up there and especially once you've started stranding and especially once you've found a "perfect" hair... Well it's quite distressing to force yourself to put your hand down. Not to mention hard. It makes sense that ultimately it's much better to not be touching at all. We can do it! By being aware. And practising.

I don't expect it to happen quickly though. I'm very much aware this is a journey, and progress will happen bit by bit.

And thanks Stroodleblooms!

I'm thinking of doing a mindfulness based course run by Christina Pearson. It's online. 2hrs a week. $295 for 8/9 weeks. Here's a link to the "about" pg of the website: http://www.christinapearson.com/about-mbsr.html