For some women, it’s simply hereditary. For others, it’s due to a health condition or cancer treatment. Whatever the case, for many women, the day they find they’re starting to lose their hair can feel like one of the worst of their lives.
If you’ve been in this boat, it can feel tough to keep walking like the beautiful, fierce woman you are, and that’s OK. With some time and a handful of ways to regain your confidence when losing your hair, you can and will make it through.
Accept the Loss
“It’s not that bad!”, “Cheer up: it could be worse!”, “You’re still beautiful.” While all these things are true, they can be tough to swallow. Sometimes it’s OK not to feel perfectly cheerful about your situation every day.
Any major change always comes with some degree of mourning. It’s OK to take time and allow yourself to feel sad about the loss of your hair, especially if that loss is associated with a loss of health. Allowing yourself to process your emotions will help you come to a place where you can accept the change.
Reaffirm Your Identity
After you’ve allowed yourself to experience your feelings about what you’ve lost, it’s important to reaffirm everything about you that’s still left. There is a plethora of ways to do this, including:
- Looking in the mirror and paying yourself a compliment (for example, “My eyes are beautiful. I wear this outfit well.”)
- Writing down a few positive truth statements about yourself and reading them out loud each evening (for example, “I am capable. I am loved. I am valued. I am not alone.”)
- Reminding yourself of things you’ve accomplished
- Journaling your thoughts
- Taking part in activities you really enjoy and are good at
Remember to give yourself grace in this. It’s OK if you’re not feeling super great about yourself every second. Being realistic and allowing yourself to have a bad day or two is part of reaffirming yourself too.
Look for Little Ways To Feel Beautiful
One of the best ways to regain your confidence when you’ve lost your hair is to present yourself like you’re still the most beautiful thing out there. Here’s the secret: you still are!
The goal isn’t necessarily to make yourself look a certain way but instead to dress in a way that makes you feel pretty, confident, or amazing. This process may look like buying and styling a cornrow wig to replace your old braids for some. For others, it may be rocking your short hair with your favorite outfit.
Regaining your confidence after hair loss can feel like an uphill battle sometimes. Still, it’s OK to allow yourself to be a work in process. Little by little, you will remember how to walk like the queen you are again.
