Over the past month, our worlds have been turned upside down. It’s really hard to understand how a virus can take over the world, it seems surreal. We have in the past weeks started to use phrases like social distancing, flattening the curve, high risk and compromised immune systems in our everyday conversations.
We have been asked to stay home, our children are no longer in school, we may have lost our jobs or are seeing our business or our friends’ business be impacted. Going for groceries has become something we don’t recognize there are staff wiping down carts, glass protectors, warnings of only one customer’s groceries on the counter and the list goes on. It is indeed a crazy world we are living in right now. There is no right or wrong way to feel about it.
For me, having Alopecia has helped me find some perspective in challenging situations. I think back to when I lost my hair. It was stressful, my world was upside down and it didn’t feel like life was fair. Life seems pretty unfamiliar right now and may be creating stress and uncertainty for many. These are the things that helped me find perspective:
- Family – There is nothing more important than family whether it is your immediate family, extended family, friend family or co-worker family. Family is that support system that will help to get you through the uncertain times.
- Making a choice – We may not be able to control what is coming at us but we can control how we react to it. We make that choice and the gives use control over the situation. I could not control that my immune system decided to attack my hair follicles, but I could control how I dealt with the that. I felt empowered once I made the choice to shave my head and wear wigs. I was now in control. Even with all the crazy stuff going on with Covid-19, if we choose to stay home and make safe decisions we are making that decision and we are now in control of our choices. Realizing you make the choice and have the control is very empowering.
- Embracing Change – Accepting that things will change and what was once normal is now in the past. We need to be able to adjust to the new normal and try not to dwell on what once was and embrace the changes that will be coming. Again, we have a choice and how we react to the changes. If I choose to feel sorry for myself because I lost my hair, I’m making a decision to not move forward and embrace what has changed. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have my long hair back but I know that I can’t control that but I can embrace the change that happened to me. We are going to face changes ahead because of Covid-19 there is no doubt, we can resist or we can embrace the changes. If you find the positive in the change, it will help you embrace it!
- Having Gratitude – Being thankful for what I had rather than what I didn’t have. I think this is the one of the biggest things that helped me accept and embrace Alopecia. Yes, I have no hair but I have so much to be thankful for. We can all find something to be thankful for each day if we look hard enough.
- Educating myself – Learning about Alopecia helped me understand and also helped me educate others. With Covid-19, the more we learn the better equipped we will be to understand the risks and make informed choices.
- Being Respectful – Being respectful of myself and others. Understanding the impact that respect has on the results of our day to day actions. No one or no situation will be perfect but if we can respect ourselves we can make positive choices. We need to respect what is going on in the world today, we need to follow the guidance of our leaders and support their directions by showing respect for ourselves and others around us.
- Happiness – Find things that make you happy, look for ways to reduce stress whether that is going for a walk, dancing in the kitchen or watching a movie. Take your mind off the stressors. Do what makes you happy.
These are just small things that help me through a difficult situation. There are always going to be challenges in life but if you can find ways to help you find perspective you can maneuver through the challenges ahead.
The picture I included encompasses all the points above. I was with family (a hike with my husband and son), making a choice to find an activity we could do that would allow social distancing, embracing the change in our weekend plans of not having scheduled activities, being thankful for the beautiful day, educating ourselves about the Big Muddy, being respectful of our bodies in getting exercise and fresh air and finding something to make us happy!!
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