That's a good idea Lulee, to imagine our trich friends here with us when our hand wants to go up. You are welcome Confident, and thank YOU for your support also.

Hey Confident, I hope you're doing well!! Just remember that you're beautiful and loved just as you are! So don't let bald patches get in your way! You can do it :) :)

Thank you so much, both of you, again.

My trip is only about two weeks ago now and .. stresssssss .. It's pretty overwhelming. A fair chunk of that stress is to do with my hair, and the different situations during my trip in which it will be difficult. But oh well. I've come to grips with that now. I guess because I managed to have a big pull free period before my last big trip, I thought I'd be able to do it again. But things are different. Wow, I'm just in a bit of a blue mood. It'll all even out soon, I think it's freaking hormones.

Sorry to hear you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed right now. Blame it on the hormones - they can have a huge effect on our moods. Glad you are continuing to vent on the forum here. We are here for you. xo

Your hair is a part of you. It is NOT you. Let the stress go, and be natural. If it bothers anyone, it's their problem, not yours. If it bothers you, then remind yourself that you are beautiful and your tresses are beautiful, too.

Enjoy yourself, stay strong, you've got this!

Where are you off to hun? I'm also struggling to cover the patches and how to do it etc. Stressing about Sumer (which is rather insane as its freezing and snowing here!!) but hey! I hope you can just enjoy yourself whatever. You know, fuck it, most people will be strangers who'll never see you again....! Xxxx

I'm with Mid and MrsKolo. You must be leaving for your trip any day now ? Bon voyage! Hope u can manage to check in with us once in a while when you are gone. If not, that's okay - you can chat away when you return. How long are you gone for ? Take care xo

Your trips sounds incredible! I hope it's going well for you! I understand worrying about your hair during some parts of traveling...but I've honestly always found that despite all my stress about it beforehand, it didn't matter in the moment at all. A nice part of traveling is the freedom of knowing that most people you interact with you'll never see again, haha. It makes it easier not to worry about trich, I think. I hope the trip is amazing so far!

Lovely to see you today . By the way, the spots are barely noticeable, Ii knew what to look for. You just look very hip and stylish.

Woah woah woah. First off, I'm sorry for my absence. Sorry to you all and sorry to myself. Things have been crazy lately, a total emotional rollercoaster. There's been getting ready for my big trip, being on my big trip, plus dealing with my husband's mental health issues and then the effects of that on our relationship. It's been a bit of a nightmare at times. I wrote this list yesterday of how I'm feeling: Distressed, pain, agony, desolation, grief, heartbreak, misery, sorrow, torment, woe, worry, wretchedness, worry, fear. Pretty dramatic, huh? I'm also feeling hopeful, relaxed, positive, excited. So it's not all bad.

I had a fun time in America, particularly meeting Phoebe!! We met up twice, and it was great each time. (It just wasn't right for me to bring up my issues at those times Phoebe). Another highlight was going to San Diego by myself for 8 days. I stayed in the Ocean beach area, only a 2 minute walk from the beach. I stayed in a hostel so I always had people to hang out with, and it's such a fun area.

Now I'm in Mexico, in a big town on the carribean coast. (with my husband), and things are kind of all over the place. I'm just trying to enjoy where I am, whenever I can. The ocean is coloured ridiculously beautiful shades of aqua and blue, and it's so warm. The food is amazing. The people are lovely. Going to the movies is SO cheap ($3 USD on a regular day and $1.80 USD on Wednesdays). We managed to get some good professional help in the area, so that's great. I'm reading, meditating, practising yoga. And I'm just starting to try mindfulness to help with my pulling (oh yes I have been pulling).

Thanks so much Trickster, Mid, Mrs Kolo, Manda and Phoebe for your lovely comments. Mrs K, I'm traveling around the world! Trickster, the plan was to be away for a year, but it might be 9 months or less than that. Thanks so much for the support. I'm aiming to be around more regularly now

Sounds lovely where you are in Mexico, and good for you that you are meditating, reading, and practising yoga, despite all the stuff going on in your life. Good to hear from you. Take care.

Thanks trickster :)

I practised mindfulness yesterday. A lot of very strong urges. That's be the anxiety! I've been reading about emotional regulation. It's seems people with Trich have difficulty with this. It's something I'd like to work on. I think mindfulness can help. Kind of like what Phoebe said on her thread; when you go to pull or pull, notice: what are you feeling, what is your posture, check your breathing. Sit with the feeling. Don't try to escape it or make it end. Hmm.

Thanks for describing some good steps to be aware of to work toward mindfulness. Sitting with a feeling is hard, I hope you're finding peace and progress.

I'm glad your trip is going well - Mexico sounds amazing. Travel is always stressful, but always worth it, I think. One thing it always forces me to do is just live in the moment. How cool that you got to meet Phoebe! What you said about mindfulness sounds so much like what I've heard in yoga classes recently..just "sitting with" a negative feeling. It's kind of a difficult concept for me, but something to work on. Enjoy Mexico and wherever you're off to next!