If you notice your hair thinning after going through a period of intense stress, you could reverse the process by taking easy steps to reduce the stress in your life.
Hair loss due to stress—telogen effluvium—could occur weeks to a few months after a stressful life event. Divorce, the death of someone close, or financial worries can all trigger stress-induced hair loss. Chronic high-level stress also impacts hair growth.
By managing your stress in healthy ways, you may minimize or reverse hair loss.
Three Ways to Reduce Stress
Exercise
Regular exercise helps lower the body’s stress hormones. These hormones often affect normal bodily functions including hair growth. In addition, exercising releases endorphins. These chemicals improve moods and act as natural painkillers. When you are feeling stressed from a difficult day or situation, a brisk walk, light jog, or aerobic activity will help alleviate the tension and clear your mind.
Regular exercise also helps you sleep better. When the body gets a good night’s rest, it is more resilient to stress.
Find exercises you enjoy and make a habit out of doing them. Schedule some time every day to get active. Make sure you wash your hair regularly because sweat and dirt could clog hair follicles.
Journaling
Writing down your thoughts is an excellent way to help relieve stress. There is something cathartic about taking what’s going on in your mind and putting it on paper.
Use your journaling sessions productively. Instead of filling pages with everything wrong in your life, focus on solutions. Write about your problems, but then spend time brainstorming how you will address these problems. You might find new ideas and perspectives you never considered.
Another great technique is writing about all the things you are grateful for in your life. Even if you only spend a few minutes at the end of each day listing good things that happened to you, it may be enough to get your mind to start focusing on the positive. A positive mindset helps reduce stress.
Strengthen Your Support Network
This doesn’t mean adding a bunch of new friends to your Facebook or Twitter account. Spend time with family and friends in person. Positive relationships provide excellent support during stressful times.
If you are looking to make positive changes in your life, find like-minded peers. For instance, look for a local jogging or biking group to help get you motivated to exercise. Find a hobby you always wanted to pursue and see if there are any local classes available. Not only will you reduce stress by doing something you always want to try, you may even meet someone else going through hair loss issues with great advice.
Taking steps to reduce stress in your life is a great way to improve your health. Though stress reduction techniques alone may not solve your hair loss issues, it may hasten the process and make you feel better about yourself.
