November 22, 2021

Who is the pilot? Who is at fault? What can replace shame? What is more satisfying than a BFRB? How do we organize ourselves? When am I allowed to pull?Featured guest: Ellen Crupi, Director of Awareness at Habit Aware
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October 18, 2021
What are the underlying conditions of our BFRBs? How do you meet yourself with compassion? What we use as reminders? What does pain push us to do? Featured guest: Aneela Idnani, cofounder of HabitAware.
So grateful to be on the Fidget podcast!
October 18, 2021

This post was kindly contributed by Aneela Idnani, Co-Founder of HabitAware.
"For more than 20 years I hid my hair pulling out of shame and fear of judgement.
Hair pulling actually started as thumb sucking as a baby. My parents and grandma did everything in their power to get me to stop – including handmade knitted mittens. My thumb found a way through those holes but eventually I stopped and graduated to hair twirling. Every night, I drank a warm glass of milk & twirled my hair as I fell asleep, all cuddled in my pink comforters."
Read the article here!
October 07, 2021
"Something I have struggled with, for literally over 20 years, is pulling my hair out. I’m not talking about those silly cartoon moments, where a character is “pulling their hair out” because they’re frustrated. This is something that’s much more in-depth, and more serious. Hair-pulling falls under the category of Body-focused repetitive behaviours or BFRBs, for short. This also includes nail-biting, and skin picking, etc."
October 07, 2021
"You probably know someone who bites their nails. Heck, it's so common you might even do it yourself. But while you might dismiss it as just a 'bad habit,' it's actually categorized as a Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB) — a general term for a group of related disorders that involve the manipulation of hair or skin on the body."
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To go along with this mindfulness recognition, I've found it helpful to have a Keen bracelet, made specifically for people with BFRBs by the company HabitAware. They buzz when your hands are in your trigger area so you can take a second to re-assess. I've found this bracelet to be extremely effective in noticing patterns, plus it even has an app to show you your progress and determine patterns."
October 07, 2021
"You probably know someone who bites their nails. Heck, it's so common you might even do it yourself. But while you might dismiss it as just a 'bad habit,' it's actually categorized as a Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB) — a general term for a group of related disorders that involve the manipulation of hair or skin on the body."
"To go along with this mindfulness recognition, I've found it helpful to have a Keen bracelet, made specifically for people with BFRBs by the company HabitAware. They buzz when your hands are in your trigger area so you can take a second to re-assess. I've found this bracelet to be extremely effective in noticing patterns, plus it even has an app to show you your progress and determine patterns."
October 07, 2021
"Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors like trichotillomania have been on the rise during the pandemic, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel."
"To go along with this mindfulness recognition, I've found it helpful to have a Keen bracelet, made specifically for people with BFRBs by the company HabitAware. They buzz when your hands are in your trigger area so you can take a second to re-assess. I've found this bracelet to be extremely effective in noticing patterns, plus it even has an app to show you your progress and determine patterns."
Read on Instyle
September 02, 2021
Aneela Idnani had been suffering in shame for over 20 years from a mental disorder that affects over 20 million people. She was ripping out her hair and she wasn’t able to turn it off. Aneela and her husband banded together to make a device that could help combat compulsive repetitive behavior and a business was formed. Marcus sits down with Aneela to understand her story, her business and goals. He also invites the perfect guest to join the conversation. Although Howie Mandel has been open about his mental health struggles for years, there was a time when he too was desperate to hide his condition
July 21, 2021
"“The first step, as a certified trichologist, is to address this as a mental-health and behavioral condition, not a hair condition,” Bridgette Hill says. To reduce the frequency and severity of hair-pulling episodes, she recommends seeking out a mental-health professional, joining a support group, or trying the HabitAware Keen, a smart bracelet that essentially trains you out of your triggers."