BFRB Week begins October 1st and ends on the 7th. For those in the BFRB community, it is one of the weeks we look forward to! During that week you will see the internet blow up with people sharing their experience with body-focused repetitive behaviors like hair pulling, skin picking, and nail biting. You'll see loving messages of support and friendships being made. It is truly a wonderful week.
Last year during BFRB week I was attending and presenting at the BFRB Changemakers conference in Minneapolis, MN! This year the conference was hosted by The TLC Foundation for BFRBs in Washington D.C.! I hopped on a plane and could not wait to be with my community again!
BFRB Changemakers Dinner Reunion
On Thursday, the BFRB Changemakers hosted a reunion dinner prior to the conference. During that time we got to hear words of wisdom from the non-profit's founder, Aneela Idnani, as well as from Christina Pearson, the founder of the BFRB awareness movement! We mingled, ate delicious food, and bonded over our similarities. People traveled from all over the world to be there: Australia, UK, and Japan to name a few!
Here's a video I made from that night!
Meeting Friends from Faraway Places
I was so lucky to be able to spend time with so many people I have adored from afar! The internet brought us together but now we were together in real life! The craziest part of all this is that being together in person felt so normal. There were no nerves. It was like we had known each other for years, I mean some of us have, but just have never met in real life. We all meshed so well together. Immediately cracking jokes and laughing.
Dealing with Shame: Lived Experience
On Sunday, I was on a panel with the HabitAware team where we spoke about BFRBs and shame and how both impacted our lives and healing journeys. It is always a pleasure to hear everyone's experience and mindset. Although we all have trichotillomania, our journeys are different. I am constantly learning new things from those around me—that's the best part of community! Being able to learn and grow while also encouraging others to do the same.
After we each spoke we opened the floor for questions from the audience. This particular video shows my answer to the question: What does good care look like?
Highlights from Days 1 & 2
Each day was jammed with information and community. Some of my favorite parts were seeing everyone, educating others about the Keen2 from HabitAware, watching Becca's incredible performance of TRICH, being able to speak on a panel and share my personal experience, attend Juliette's presentation on advocating for yourself in school, and running around the National Mall.
Please enjoy these videos that I made encapsulating each day!
What a wonderful way to spend BFRB Week! I'm already looking forward to the next conference. There will be more blog posts to follow that will focus on specific aspects of the conference. Stay tuned!
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