How do I break the habit?

[CalicoPurpl90]

I haven't posted in awhile but I have an issue that I have been dealing with that I was hoping to get some feedback on. I have developed a bad habit of excessively touching, twirling, and lightly pulling on my hair. I'm not sure if it would be accurate as to go so far to say that I might have Trichotillomania. I'm not really pulling on my hair so much as I am excessively touching it and twirling it with my hands. I do have OCD so maybe this is just an OCD behavior and tendency I have gradually developed. I usually touch my hair and twirl it when I'm feeling anxious and sometimes absentmindedly without thinking about it. The only problem is, it has been effecting the way my hair looks and feels. It has been looking damaged and feels like straw when I touch it. I use good products in my hair, but I can't allow the products to do their thing if I keep obsessively touching my hair afterwards. My mom has noticed and commented on it. Mostly I just want to stop engaging in this behavior but I'm not sure how to go about breaking the habit. Any suggestions?

[Rafiki11]

I feel your pain! I pick at my skin and it gets way worse when I’m anxious.

Maybe find something else you can twirl with your hands? A cheerleader Pom Pom thing? A piece of jewelry? I got myself a bracelet to mess with instead of my skin. Brush your hair with a soft brush?

Set a timer and don’t allow yourself to touch your hair for a certain amount of time. Let yourself touch your hair gently and then set the timer for a longer time.

Call out your OCD. “Stop it, OCD. You’re being annoying. I don’t have time for you today. “

[Broken1971]

Yeah, that's ocd. I've done things like this too. For me, my compulsions like that usually evolve and change. One week I'll be pulling hair, the next I'm washing hands. In the long run maybe find a good erp therapist. Good luck to you!

[CalicoPurpl90]

Thank you guys for the feedback. I will keep some of those tips in mind. I haven't mentioned this issue with my current therapist as I have been working through other issues, but I might try bringing this up at my next session with him. I understand the skin picking issue. I engaged in obsessive skin picking for years before I finally started to get a better grip at it. I still have a slight issue with it now, but it is thankfully not as bad as it used to be. I am not sure if my current therapist is familiar with exposure response prevention but I am familiar and might try practicing with it myself.