Hair loss may be natural, but it can be completely depressing to actually go through it. Some people try to fix it, and some people just let themselves go bald. Interestingly, the men who seem less concerned with their looks might even have it hardest. While men for who are generally fashionable and keep up with the trends, maybe it’s not such a big deal to spend time coming up with a plan to grow their hair back—they’re used to thinking about their appearance and they don’t care who knows it. But for men who don’t like thinking about their looks or don’t like people thinking they think about their looks, avoidance can be the easiest solution. Unfortunately, how people see us does seem to matter to us, and not feeling good about ourselves can make us depressed.
We’ve compiled a list of a few signs that could indicate that your balding problem is making you depressed.
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1. You wear a hat 24/7
The fact that you feel the need to hide your hair indicates that you are starting to be affected. It might seem like there’s nothing wrong with wearing a hat. Possibly it’s true—you’re okay with balding, and you’re wearing a hat so your head doesn’t get sunburned. That’s great. But sometimes wearing a hat every second is a sign you’re unhappy with the way you look. If this describes you, it’s time to stop avoiding the reality that you are suffering from hair loss. It’s time to jump into action with a treatment plan that works for you.
2. You hate getting haircuts
For some men, hair loss can make them feel weird about going to the barber. This could be because you think it’s not practical anymore to pay full price when you only have hair at the back and sides of your head. But the deeper reason could be that you feel insecure about your thinning hair and are concerned about having people looking at it closely. You might not want your barber to be inspecting your locks or the two guys waiting in line to check out your sparse head. Maybe you don’t want to hear them suggesting some hair regrowth treatment before you’re ready to admit you have a problem.
3. You don’t talk to anyone about your hair loss
Avoidance is a common defense mechanism of someone who is dealing with something that he cannot accept. You might think that it’s unnecessary to talk about it, which may be true, but avoiding talking about it could also be a sign that you’re avoiding thinking about it. If you’re not thinking about it, then you’re not coming up with a plan. That’s a problem because hair restoration works best if you start it at the first sign of hair fall.
Choosing to stay quiet about hair loss is fine. After all, people can be jerks. But talking to friends who are going through the same thing can help make the subject feel more normal, and decrease your stress (which could honestly make the problem worse). Your friends probably have some good ideas that you might want to try as part of your hair restoration plan.
4. You get uncomfortable when people touch your hair
There are situations when people accidentally or intentionally touch your hair. In your social interactions, someone might give you a hug, a friend could touch your shoulder, you could be in a close huddle, or you could be in an intimate moment with your partner. Maybe you feel conscious that others might see your bald spots at such proximity. Don’t let hair loss push you away from your people. Your friends and family don’t care half as much as you might about your hair or lack of it.
5. You make up for it by buying expensive clothes and shoes
It’s a classic diversionary tactic. You shift the attention from your hair to what you are wearing. Your expensive clothes and shoes give you the boost of confidence that you need. Even if you look good on the outside, however, you could be depressed deep inside. If your credit card statement has been getting just a little bit surprising lately due to some frivolous choices, take a hard look at yourself and choose a more straightforward approach to the problem by trying a few real, proven hair regrowth tactics. And if you already know that hair loss is affecting your confidence, read How Hair Loss Can Affect Confidence in Men to get more insight into the deeper problems this can cause, aside from making you buy stuff you don’t need.
6. You don’t care how you look anymore
Not caring about how you look is different from happily accepting the way you look. When you stop caring about what people say or think about you, it’s not a big, confident rejection of the world. It means you feel unfairly judged, and like trying to change others minds is useless. This is a heavy mindset to carry around, not something to be happy about, not something that frees you from care, and certainly something you should work on.
It’s natural to care about how you look and the image you present to others. Your physical appearance, the way you think of yourself, and how you act because of how you look all affect your chances of success and happiness. If you care how you look, that’s normal.
Don’t let repressed feelings about hair loss lead to depression
While some men find their condition difficult to accept and deal with, it is possible to heal from the physical and emotional pain from hair loss and depression. Many people struggle with addressing their problem because they see advertisements for types of treatments they could never imagine putting themselves through because they are painful, expensive, or just kind of embarrassing. If you do your own research, there are so many solutions out there that there has got to be one to fit you. Go get informed. It’s time to face the problem so repression doesn’t lead to depression. If you want more tips on how to get started and how to have the right mindset to address hair restoration, I would recommend this article to put it all into perspective: How to Have the Right Mindset for Hair Regrowth.