Cutting hair during depression (Why is it healthy?)
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Author bio
The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
In this article, we will be addressing the topic: cutting hair during a depression. We will be discussing why people chop off their hair while undergoing depression and how it makes them feel, later on.
Cutting hair during depression
It is totally normal to get a haircut when you are dealing with depression or a major loss in your life. We all should understand the fact that sometimes, a haircut is much more than grooming and styling. People recovering from trauma, such as the loss of a loved one, the ending of a relationship, or even our own failing health leads us to want some sort of changes in our lifestyle.
A haircut, in the above situations, help us to cope with the impending grief, sadness, frustration, and lack of energy. The haircut can be subtle, minute, or sometimes, it could be drastic and a huge change to your appearance. It depends on what you decide to do to your hair. Some people dye their hair with new colors, while some others try out completely new and funky hairstyles, and yet some others just chop off a chunk of their hair to feel better.
There are also people with matted hair after going through a severe episode of depression.
A form of self-care
When you are depressed and let down, feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and pervasive sadness are bound to last for a long time and they will take a toll on you, over time. Hence, anything, literally anything which makes you feel better and has the power to cheer you up a bit, should be given the highest priority.
Consider your haircut as a form of self-care. View it as something you did to make yourself feel and look better, to get through your hard phases of life. It helps in reducing the amount of stress you need to tolerate and physically it could make you feel lighter as if you let down something heavy. After enduring the exhaustion of a major stressor, you need something to boost your spirits. So getting a haircut acts as an investment that lets you choose for yourself and feel slightly better in your gloomy days.
Effect of stressors
Any kind of stressor exhausts you and depletes you of your mental and emotional energy. It tends to get you frustrated beyond the normal scale and does not let you think and act, rationally. It emotionally shuts us down and we end up channeling our energy into unnecessary worries and anxieties. We need something which can pump us up and make us feel balanced, in times of severe stress. Coping becomes a tedious task, otherwise.
It also depends on the degree of a trauma you underwent. Events like a short-lived relationship break-up or frustration at work can be handled rather easily by spending some time alone, setting new intentions, talking to loved ones, and getting a complete makeover for your appearance. However, when the wounds run deeper, it will be difficult to deal with them, with physical makeovers alone.
We tend to turn to physical makeovers as they are easier to get done and help us gain temporary relief. Sometimes people adhere to physical makeovers like a haircut, to ignore and to deny their fears of underlying issues, as they might not feel ready to face them or find their way out through their issues.
Major illnesses
People also cut their hair if they are suffering from any kind of major illness. These illnesses include ones such as cancer of any form, Parkinson’s disease, or major amnesia. People suffering from such illnesses undergo major bodily changes and hence, most of them tend to cut off their hair to feel less burdened and also because they would find it difficult to take care of it, by themselves.
Sometimes, hair fall leads to a major loss of hair as a consequence of the treatment options adopted to cure the illness or reduce its intensity.
Associated feelings
If you feel good and happy about getting a haircut, then you should jolly well get it done!. When you are about to bring a change into your life and you seem to be confused, you could clear that out by being aware of the feelings you experience while thinking of the change and how it is going to influence you and your future life.
This will help you to recognize your actual needs and whether you want to initiate the change or not. If you feel a haircut is going to make you feel better, happier, and high-spirited, then you already know what to do next. On the other hand, if you are feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and despair while thinking of a haircut, then you may have to reconsider your decisions.
Emotional affair
For most people who are depressed, they don’t find the energy to look after themselves and their health properly. This also includes hair care. As a result, it starts emotionally nagging them and they might start to feel desperate, suffocated, and burdened with overwhelming emotions concerning their growing lethargy. In these situations, getting a haircut would help immensely and make you feel less burdened and emotionally, a little more stable. It gives them one less matter to give their attention to and gradually they can try paying attention to their serious concerns and underlying issues.
It helps them with getting a good grip on their emotional health and to decide what to do next. Shedding off the dead weight that has to be carried everywhere, lets those who cut them off, feel in charge of their lives, and to see things from a new perspective.
Embrace and overcome your fears
Sometimes people tend to abstain from cutting their hair due to fear of what other people might say or how they mind end up judging or viewing the haircut. This causes severe anxiety and feelings of guilt and shame, among many people. They might be longing to cut their hair or getting a makeover done. However, due to their fear of being judged, they take a step back.
The thing to remember during these times is to know that it is okay to feel scared and apprehensive of what people might say, but do it despite the fear. Get that haircut done and give yourself some credit for overcoming and facing your fears bravely.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed the topic: cutting hair during depression. We looked at why people tend to get a haircut during the depression and how does it help them cope with their depression. We also discussed the perks of getting a haircut when you are emotionally exhausted and drained, and when you are suffering from any kind of major illness. Lastly, we discussed how to accept and overcome the fear of being judged by other people, concerning you getting a haircut.
FAQs: cutting hair during depression
Why do I want to cut my hair when I’m sad?
When you are under depression, every day you experience the same set of thoughts, and hence, every day it’s a war between you and your thoughts. You feel monotonous, empty, and emotionless, most of the time. Because of these reasons, you might have an urge to bring a change into your life or do something impulsive to cope with your depressive thoughts.
So most people tend to engage in the habit of cutting their hair to make themselves feel better. Sometimes people even end up shaving off their hair completely or go for a complete makeover with their hair. At other times, people just randomly cut their hair, which could look uneven and messy.
What does cutting your hair symbolize?
Most people get a haircut to change their looks or to feel better about something that happened which made them feel low and disappointed. For instance, when people go through a breakup, they get a haircut to represent the time and love they shared with their partner, which is done and removed from their life and this makes them feel like a new person, altogether.
It helps them cope with their breakup and additionally they also get a new look which makes them feel mentally empowered.
Does cutting your hair make you happier?
Getting a haircut can make you feel happy and cathartic. It can embrace your need for change in life and makes you feel like a new person. It also makes you feel as if you are in control of the happenings in your life. Though it can feel like hair is a silly thing to be able to control, sometimes even the silly decisions you make have a huge impact on your life. It makes you feel refreshed and empowered.
Why do haircuts look bad at first?
Haircuts look bad and awkward in the beginning, probably because, you did not care to choose a hairstyle according to your face shape, structure, and your hair type. Besides, most haircuts take around a week to start to get settled and looking good. This happens because the ends of the hair are freshly cut and take time to get back to normal. So they might appear shabby, and some times, uneven.
Why shouldn’t you cut your hair?
Cutting your hair on your own is not a great idea. This is because when you cut your hair, without taking a shower, the thick sections will fray the hair and make it look uneven. Also, it could feel more like sawing off your hair, rather than cutting it.
Also because we are dominant with one hand and the head of the person getting the haircut, is going to be wonky. This will result in uneven and shabby looking hair and it is not going to look the way you wanted it to.
What to do when you are bored with your hair?
You can try out the following tips when you get bored with your hair:
Try out a new parting for your hair. This is easy, non-fussy, and there is no involvement of any sort of expenses.
Try out a new styling product, considering your hair type, texture, and sensitivity. Sometimes, your hair might not be able to tolerate certain chemicals or ingredients which might be present in the products. So check and decide.
You can try ironing or straightening your hair. If you usually leave your hair messy and with volume, use an ironer to straight it out or you could visit a hair salon to get it done.
Try fringes. You could opt for soft, thin, and side fringes or full, straight, thick fringes. They are bound to make you look cute and sassy, depending upon your hair type and texture.
Try doing messy buns with your hair.
Does hair settle after being cut?
Once you get a haircut, every hair needs a little time to settle down. It depends on the amount of hair you’ve cut. If you have just trimmed the ends. Your hair will be ready and would look great by the very next day. However, if you went for a complete and drastic hairstyle change, it would take time for your hair to settle down and it takes almost two weeks to look good completely.
References
https://themighty.com/2017/11/cut-hair-depression/
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