Have you noticed a correlation between being on vacation and your trichotillomania pulling habits? I have!
I often pull waaaaay less or sometimes not at all while I'm on vacation. This could be for many reasons:
I'm in a brand new place and totally overwhelmed in the best way possible.
All of the triggering locations I have in my home are now miles away. That perfect couch pillow that holds my elbow so I can pull with ease? Bye bye! Everything is different in a hotel room. I will say that many hotels I've stayed in have a magnified mirror in the bathroom and I stay far away from those! I won't even give it a second glance because those things are dangerous! If you own one, I suggest throwing it away. I know it hurts but I promise you life is better without it.
I'm surrounded by loved ones with little to no alone time.
I don't mind pulling around my loved ones but on vacation I have such a hard time getting into the "trich trance" because we are talking, laughing, and playing games. Depending on where we're staying, there might be only one bathroom and so I can't sit on the sink and spend hours in there like I would at home. There isn't any time for the trance! Yippee!
My days are filled so I have little downtime.
We're often trying to make the most of our time that we are rarely in the hotel room. If we are it's for napping before dinner and then going to sleep late into the night! Once my head hits the pillow, I am knocked out! Vacation can be exhausting.
No matter what the reason(s) may be, I'm glad to take this much needed break from my trichotillomania. Now when I get home...that's a different story for a different blog.