#1 - Awareness is key. Aneela's TEDx talk on Overcoming Trichotillomania.
Our co-founders TEDx talk where she stares her story and how AWARENESS was the biggest tool in her transformation from feeling in the depths of Trichotillomania to feeling like it couldn't weigh her down any longer.
#2 - Your BFRB is trying to tell you something. Low Fuel Light from the Fidget Podcast
When learning to manage your BFRB, whether it's hair pulling, skin picking, nail biting, or something else, it's helpful to view it as a signal. A signal of what? This video beautifully illustrates the metaphor!
#3 - We need to share our stories for BFRBs to be taken seriously. Lauren McKeaney's story featured on truly.
BFRBs can be life threatening. That's why it's so important that people know them as more than just "bad habits." PickingMe Foundation founder Lauren McKeaney shares her story in this video.
#4 - The conversation can't just be "how do I stop?" Taming the Pull Podcast featuring Barbara Lally
Barbara's story exemplifies why chasing a cure sometimes keeps us in the exact same spot- but it also shows how she broke free of that and was able to make progress. We love Barbara's story - that's why she's a HabitAware Peer Coach now!
#5 - BFRBs are a cycle, and to manage we have to break that cycle. Understanding Body-focused Repetitive Behaviors by Marla Deibler
BFRBs are chronic for a reason! Managing a BFRB requires identifying different points in your BFRB cycle and being able to have the strength to break the cycle, in the moment.
#6 - Shame is making our BFRBs even worse. Shame and BFRBs by Annette Pasternak.
Maybe the most unbearable symptom of BFRBs, even worse than scabs or bald spots, is the shame that they bring after the relief. This is how BFRBs keep us in the loop. We feel relief for a fleeting moment until they shower us with shame again.
#7 - BFRBs exist in a duality: they simultaneously help and hinder us.
This fun and playful video covers a lot when it comes to BFRBs and has a lot to say! One of our takeaways that the difficulty in managing our BFRBs come from the fact that they can serve a purpose: helping us to manage our emotional health. It's just that they also CAUSE emotional distress, making them a duality.
#8 - BFRBs exist on a spectrum from mild to severe, and the goal is to move to a more manageable condition. Skin Picking and Hair Pulling Explained by Dr. Tracey Marks.
This video has over 5 million views, so we had to include it on the list. Dr. Tracey Marks really links BFRBs to negative emotions, but from talking to other people with BFRBs we've seen that Trich and other BFRBs can be caused by positive or neutral emotions too. This video does help nail down the points that for some people, these behaviors are just little things they do that don't really affect their day. But for others with these chronic conditions, BFRBs can be very hard to live with.
#9 - There is a tie between anxiety and our BFRBs. Why We Pick Our Skin by the School of Life.
This video points out that for some people managing their anxiety looks completely different than a person with dermatillomania. Where one person might yell and get frustrated at others because they're overwhelmed with anxiety, a person with dermatillomania will quietly pick their skin (though another person might do both!) this is a good reminder that everyone has their own coping mechanisms to unstable emotions.
#10 - BFRB management should come with a glossary! BFRB Vocabulary for RoseGoldWaltz
Confused by all of the vocab that we reference in the body-focused repetitive behavior community? Well you're not the only one! Here's a quick and fun video that goes over the roots of these words and how they combine to form different meanings.
Please note that these are considered "top" Youtube videos for different reasons! Some of them we liked the content, some we felt we should add because of view count. HabitAware doesn't necessarily agree with all of the ideas about BFRBs expressed in these videos. For more about how we teach people to manage their body-focused repetitive behaviors and find freedom from their incessant grasp, please check out more of our resources!
Header by Alexander Shatov
