[summerblueskies]

Most of my life I have had a nervous habit of playing with my hair, picking at it, twirling it, smoothing it down, etc.I really need to stop. Like i can see in ppls faces when Im having a conversation that its distracting. A teacher even made a snide comment about my habit in front of the class. It was kind of humiliating for me. I develop this habit again every couple years even if it goes away for awhile. Its like when people chew their nails but for me I am messing with my hair all the time. Is there a good way to stop?? I am pretty sure it doesnt make me look very confident either...

[pegasus]

Hello summerblueskies,

OCD habits are often about trying to make a situation feel safe, and feeling compelled to do a ritual over and over until it feels safe. Now that you are aware of this habit maybe you could replace it with a less obvious way of coping. For example - rubbing the fore finger and thumb together out of view, so that you still have a way of coping in social situations and then gradually you could lessen it as you begin to feel more comfortable.

[summerblueskies]

Originally Posted by pegasus

Hello summerblueskies,

OCD habits are often about trying to make a situation feel safe, and feeling compelled to do a ritual over and over until it feels safe. Now that you are aware of this habit maybe you could replace it with a less obvious way of coping. For example - rubbing the fore finger and thumb together out of view, so that you still have a way of coping in social situations and then gradually you could lessen it as you begin to feel more comfortable.

So your saying you can have a compulsive habit without being OCD?

[TheOriginalMe]

I used to do this all the time, eventually I grew out of it (in my 40s lol). You could try having a really short, cute pixie crop so there is not much hair to play around with.

[waiting4]

Originally Posted by summerblueskies

So your saying you can have a compulsive habit without being OCD?

I certainly can. I do the whole hair thing too, but changed from twirling (my ex H used to say I was winding myself up...heh. Like I needed any help in that dept) to taking individual hairs from the top of my head and between two fingers, using my nails, try to straighten out any kinks or twists. It was comforting yes, but I'm certain annoying to watch.

The fastest cure for me was to have my nails done. With the acrylic nails, they are too thick to get a decent 'pull'. Stopped me in my tracks so to speak. I don't have them now, but after not doing it for about a year, it's not something I NEED to so as much.

Still, changing up the habit a little, to get the same result, is a good idea...I have a ring on my forefinger I spin and straighten. Works just fine and doesn't look like I'm picking nits out of my hair. pfffft

[summerblueskies]

Originally Posted by TheOriginalMe

I used to do this all the time, eventually I grew out of it (in my 40s lol). You could try having a really short, cute pixie crop so there is not much hair to play around with.

Im going to cut it short soon, problem is I didnt have money for a good haircut for a really long time

[summerblueskies]

Originally Posted by waiting4

I certainly can. I do the whole hair thing too, but changed from twirling (my ex H used to say I was winding myself up...heh. Like I needed any help in that dept) to taking individual hairs from the top of my head and between two fingers, using my nails, try to straighten out any kinks or twists. It was comforting yes, but I'm certain annoying to watch.

The fastest cure for me was to have my nails done. With the acrylic nails, they are too thick to get a decent 'pull'. Stopped me in my tracks so to speak. I don't have them now, but after not doing it for about a year, it's not something I NEED to so as much.

Still, changing up the habit a little, to get the same result, is a good idea...I have a ring on my forefinger I spin and straighten. Works just fine and doesn't look like I'm picking nits out of my hair. pfffft

Lol yea my boyfriend thinks its cute if I am twirling my hair, Im like it is not cute!! When I was a little kid i actually had trich where I would pluck the hair out. But just seeing photos of how bad my hair looked back then cured me of that habit for good!

[summerblueskies]

good idea about the jewelry too. I tend to play with any jewelry Im wearing as well.