Therein lies my struggle. I know having chronic conditions can limit how much I can do but it doesnāt limit me from doing something. What I still needed work with was being ok with what I did accomplish. Making what I did do ENOUGH.
That black and white thinking that says if I canāt do it to this level then itās not worth it. This feels too easy it should be harder or I should be struggling.
For my own gray hair, I have a mixture of gray patterns. I have salt and pepper in the back and a white patch in front. Because my white patch is more porous I apply the shampoo to the white section last.
You may have decided to embrace your gray hair but what about yellow hair? Why is it that our gray hair turns yellow and what can you do about it?
We have all heard of the tortoise and the hare. We learned that slow and steady win the race. That is not what is promoted though. Everything is about instant results. I am seeing how part of the difficulty in going slow is impatience and discontent.
Besides helping you practically with how-tos and product recommendations my ultimate goal is to help you to embrace your hair at whatever itās curl pattern, gray hair pattern, porosity, and density. I want you to know your beauty is not defined by any of those characteristics of your hair. I want you to feel loved by the hair you have.
Have you ever read an article book or watched a video and feel like āOMG āthatās meā or āIām not the only one who feels like that.ā I will never forget the feeling I had when someone told me that a video I did let them feel seen.
So donāt let things not just right stopping you from learning and doing better. Here is a reframe: the fear of not doing just right on the first try is not the issue; it's being open to getting better by trying and having realistic expectations.
When I first had my son I was beyond blown away at how little I could do besides take care of him. I found myself saying many times I did ānothingā today based on the state of how my home looked. But I am thankful that a good friend of mine helped me gain perspective. She reminded me of all the things I do to keep my son alive. Things that are easy to minimize.
Itās not hard to sit myself down when I am in pain or exhausted. But, even though I am physically still, do you know what doesnāt stop? My brain.Can you relate? I have learned throughout the years that even though I may be conserving my physical energy with rest I was not conserving my mental and emotional energy with the thoughts I was thinking or the shame I felt because I could not do what I set out to.
If you are a chronic warrior like me can you relate to how frustrating it is to know your limitations but still āforgetā and pay dearly for them. I get so upset when others donāt āgetā my struggle with these conditions and yet here I am forgetting to plan rest and recovery.
Do you want a heads up on what to expect when you decide to stop coloring your hair? Then this article is for you. There is much out there on the internet about how to COVER or HIDE your gray hair or practical tips on how to transition to gray hair. There is not enough about the emotional side of this gray hair journey.
I remember many a time when I was in a dark place and read someoneās story and felt less alone. it was just what I needed. I appreciate all the courageous bloggers who shared their experiences and that inspired me to do the same.
Sharing is healing. Sharing also helps us to feel more connected and less alone in our struggle when we hear similar experiences of others. This is one of the many articles I will write on this journey of mothering a special needs child.
The compassionate lesson I learned this week was that compassionate practices are not one and done. They are rinse and repeat.
It takes effort to not allow those lies to be our truth. I want you to see that I have not āarrivedā, I am not a guru that knows it all. I struggle with the very things I encourage you not to do.
One of my goals with this blog is being ācompassionately realā about things I struggle with. What I have learned is before I can get to solutions, I must acknowledge where I am and not make myself feel that until I get to the improved me that is when I can give myself compassion.
My Body keeps score. The score of pain that has been stored and not released. You can't see emotional pain in the pit of my stomach, deep in my heart,..
Carl Jung says that āwhat you resist persists.ā I have seen the truth of that statement. Resisting reality is exhausting, and it does not change the reality.
I am still amazed at how much my natural hair / going gray journey has taught me so much about accepting and loving myself. It has helped me become a better me.
This is part one of many posts that I will write documenting how my natural hair journey and transitioning to gray hair have helped me develop self- love.
