Let’s explore some specific techniques you can start using today to manage your emotions and reduce hair-pulling:

Mindfulness meditation encourages you to focus on the present moment without judgment. For people with trichotillomania, practicing mindfulness helps you become more aware of your thoughts, emotions, and body sensations—like the urge to pull your hair.

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) involves tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups in your body. It’s a simple yet effective way to release physical tension and calm down, especially when anxiety or stress is triggering your hair-pulling urges.

By practicing PMR regularly, you’ll reduce overall muscle tension and feel more relaxed, which can make a big difference when you’re tempted to pull your hair.

Deep breathing exercises, like diaphragmatic breathing, activate your body’s natural relaxation response. By slowing down your breathing and taking deep, intentional breaths, you can lower your heart rate, reduce anxiety, and regain control over your emotions.

When you’re feeling emotionally overwhelmed or noticing the urge to pull, practicing deep breathing can interrupt the stress response and help you refocus your mind.

Tracking your emotions and understanding the connection between your feelings and hair-pulling is a powerful tool for managing trichotillomania. Using an emotion journal or a mood tracking app allows you to spot patterns and identify emotional triggers.

Once you become more aware of your emotions, you can start responding with self-compassion and healthier coping strategies. Instead of pulling your hair when you’re feeling stressed or anxious, you can choose other techniques—like deep breathing or mindfulness—to manage those emotions more constructively.

Cognitive restructuring is a technique that focuses on challenging negative or distorted thoughts related to trichotillomania. By reframing harmful thoughts and replacing them with more balanced, realistic alternatives, you can change the way you think about your urges.

For example, instead of thinking, "I can’t stop pulling my hair," cognitive restructuring helps you reframe that thought into, "I’m learning how to manage my urges, and I can make progress." This mindset shift reduces the intensity of hair-pulling urges and encourages emotional regulation and well-being.

It’s important to recognize how unresolved stress and anxiety can fuel the cycle of hair-pulling. Chronic stress can increase inflammation in your body, which makes it harder to regulate your emotions.

Studies show that stress can trigger the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemicals that lead to inflammation and worsen emotional distress.

When you learn how to manage your stress and anxiety through these emotional regulation techniques, you’ll find it easier to break the cycle of pulling and feel more in control of your emotional well-being.

Managing trichotillomania is about more than just stopping the behavior—it’s about understanding and addressing the emotions behind it. By practicing these emotional regulation techniques, you can build resilience, lower your hair-pulling urges, and take meaningful steps toward healing.

At Healing from Hair Pulling, we’re here to support you with personalized strategies that help you manage trichotillomania. We focus on emotional regulation, mindfulness, and self-care to guide you through your healing journey.

Our educational programs are designed to help you develop practical, actionable tools that empower you to take control of your condition.

Join UnTrick Yourself™, our evidence-based, peer-led program designed to help women with trichotillomania. We’ll work together to explore emotional regulation techniques like mindfulness and more to reduce your hair-pulling urges. With our supportive community and personalized action plans, you’ll find the confidence you need to move forward.

Join us at healingfromhairpulling.com and take the first step on your journey toward healing. Together, let’s find what works best for you!

Heeren, A., Busana, C., Coussement, C., & Philippot, P. (2015). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Trichotillomania: A Bayesian Case-Control Study. Psychologica Belgica, 55(3), 118–133. https://doi.org/10.5334/pb.bj

Lee, D. K., & Lipner, S. R. (2022). The Potential of N-Acetylcysteine for Treatment of Trichotillomania, Excoriation Disorder, Onychophagia, and Onychotillomania: An Updated Literature Review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(11), 6370. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116370