“You can consider it a form of self care,” says Christy Beck, a therapist based in State College, Pennsylvania. “You're doing something for yourself to make yourself feel better.” After some kind of major stressor, it can be helpful to give yourself some kind of pick-me-up.
It helps us embrace another side of ourselves during trying times. Cutting our hair is also an easy way to achieve instant gratification. When everything feels like it's falling apart, we can have some control over our new look. And it acts as a sort of release.
"When you feel poorly, it is natural to make changes to your external body in the hopes that it will make you feel better internally as well," Berman told InStyle. "There is something about a drastic cut that can feel cathartic after a break-up, like you are cutting off the dead weight and becoming lighter and freer."
A haircut is often about transforming oneself and letting go of the past. Letting go of what has felt safe, rejecting fear and embracing change and the unknown. Sometimes starting over can be liberating because you have the benefit of experience and can just enjoy the journey the second time around.
It can be a shield to hide behind, a canvas to express yourself and a message to everyone around you. A haircut can be more than just that; it can be a chance to regain control, discover your identity and move on. The post-breakup haircut is a well-known phenomenon.
Preening
She is continuously fixing herself in front of you. She might knowingly or unknowingly do this as she is risking fixing herself in front of you while she has your attention already because she cares about what you think. Hence, she is making an effort to look perfect and stand out.
“You can consider it a form of self care,” says Christy Beck, a therapist based in State College, Pennsylvania. “You're doing something for yourself to make yourself feel better.” After some kind of major stressor, it can be helpful to give yourself some kind of pick-me-up.
Jesse Hornbeck, hairstylist and owner of Flagstaff's Pin Up Salon, said people often switch up how they look as a means to cope with and get over whatever it might be they are struggling with. “People love to change their appearance drastically in times of crisis,” Hornbeck said.
Trichotemnomania (TT) is characterized as the cutting or shaving of hair, which is an obsessive–compulsive habit. TT takes its name from a fusion of Greek words: thrix (hair), temnein (to cut), and mania (madness).
In times of distress, we may seek different means of escape, such as a major haircut, instead of recognizing how making a drastic, and possibly regrettable, change to our appearance will only give us a fleeting sense of agency, argues Newman.
Yes, stress and hair loss can be related. Three types of hair loss can be associated with high stress levels: Telogen effluvium. In telogen effluvium (TEL-o-jun uh-FLOO-vee-um), significant stress pushes large numbers of hair follicles into a resting phase.
Typically, a psychotic break indicates the first onset of psychotic symptoms for a person or the sudden onset of psychotic symptoms after a period of remission. Symptoms may include delusional thoughts and beliefs, auditory and visual hallucinations, and paranoia.
Studies have shown that cutting one's hair (especially when going through a traumatic life change, such as a breakup) can provide a sense of control and emotional release. Changing one's hairstyle can also be a powerful tool in helping redefine or solidify one's identity. Even a simple trim has mental health benefits.
Many people are nervous about going to the hair salon, especially if they are going to get their hair cut. If this is you, do not despair. If you look up haircut anxiety, you will see that you are not alone in how you feel. There are strategies you can put into place to help you overcome your nervousness.
Cutting is a common form of self-harm behavior that is used to relieve inner stress and anxiety. Cutting refers to taking a sharp object to the skin to make small cuts in the body, usually the arms and legs.
"Cutting our hair or changing our physical appearance falls into three different types of coping and can be seen as a common reaction to a stressful event," said Dr. C. "These include, wanting to gain control of the stressor, seek social support, and wanting to grow out of adversity.
A woman who drastically cuts or styles her hair doesn't do it only because she's heartbroken or she's moving on from a breakup. She does this to want change: She wishes to cut herself from expectations of others and even to symbolically resurrect from a tragedy.
A cropped cut can be a way to show the world how strong you are. "A woman with short hair is perceived as confident — not having to hide anything,” says Jo-Ellan Dimitrius, author of “Reading People: How to Understand People and Predict Their Behavior – Anytime, Anyplace.”
We can conclude that trauma may play a role in development of both trichotillomania and skin picking. Increased duration of trichotillomania or skin picking was correlated with decreased presence of post-traumatic stress symptoms.
Telogen effluvium
This may cause hair to fall out when you brush, comb or wash it. Hair loss due to telogen effluvium is usually abrupt and temporary. However, it can happen weeks (or even months) after you experience a period of deep stress or a traumatic incident, due to the hair growth cycle.
A woman is usually flirting with you if she's mimicking your movements, leaning into your conversation, quickly blinking her eyes, or lightly touching you. If she turns to look somewhere else, frowns, or tries to move away from you, then those are signs a woman isn't interested.
Anxiety, OCD, and bipolar disorder have been known to cause hair loss. The disorder Trichotillomania creates an irresistible urge to pull out the hair from your scalp, eyebrows, and other areas of the body.
“Making a change like cutting your hair can feel good because you're taking action. When you take action, there's a feeling of accomplishment. If you change your hair and it feels good, there's a payoff — a freeing feeling that's like having agency in the world.”