Archive for January, 2008
I’ve been watching Extreme Dreams with Ben Fogle recently, a BBC Two documentary in which Ben Fogle leads a team of adventurers on a life changing trek through Uganda. The documentary is inspiring stuff as all the adventurers have had to overcome physical and emotional challenges which include everything from blindness to obesity. Amongst the team involved is Gaynor a mother of three who has Alopecia. Part of the reason why she wanted to take part in this experience is to build her self esteem as having Alopecia has taken its toll on an emotional level.
“I want to get out there and meet people and not hide away…”
Gaynor
By taking part in such a life changing experience she is hoping to build both her self esteem and confidence and this is an incredible positive way of dealing with Alopecia that many of us could learn from. Shying away from the realities of life and relationships with others can be the most tempting way of dealing with things when your self esteem is at rock bottom but in fact it’s the worst course of action. Now I’m not suggesting that everyone pack their suitcases for a trip around the world right now but perhaps taking just a small step everyday is all that’s needed to help restore that inner confidence. This could be anything from doing a little exercise to simply meeting some friends for a quick drink and a chat. It’s the little things that make a big difference in the long run.
“…the word ‘esteem’ shares the same root as the word ’estimate’ meaning ‘to put a value on’. Therefore, you can see that ’self-esteem’, really does just mean; ‘the value we put on ourselves’.”
Adam Eason - The World’s Favourite Hypnosis & Personal Development
Investing in your self esteem is one of the most important and rewarding steps you can make and this is something that I will be discussing in more detail in the future. In the meantime I’ll leave you with a great quote from Robert Ringer.
“A quality such as self-esteem is a result of practising good human relations”
Robert J Ringer
Author
January 31st, 2008
Part of the reason that Help4Alopecia.com was set-up is to spread the word about useful Alopecia resources and websites. From time to time I come across a website or blog that really stands out from the crowd and www.AlopeciaAndLove.com is one such site. It’s run by Cheryl Carvery who has been living with Alopecia Areata since the early 1990’s and her fiancé Richard Jones.
What makes this blog so different is the fact that it explores so much more than just alopecia itself. This quote from the blog explains their mission statement more clearly.
“Hoping to eradicate ignorance regarding hair loss and baldness, they are raising awareness about alopecia and challenging ideas about gender and beauty that often lead people to ridicule and reject alopecians and others based on physical appearance.”
The blog also celebrates self-acceptance, deep love and promotes a positive image of people of alopecia which makes great reading for anyone with Alopecia or who has been discriminated against because of hair loss. I found the blog entries uplifting, well written and high original.
The site is well designed, easy to use and also has some interesting features which include an audio player that reads out each blog entry. Although this isn’t the author’s own voice ( it is in fact a computer generated reading) it was surprisingly easy to listen to and I can see that it would be helpful to visually impaired visitors. As a web designer myself this is something I appreciate. You can also subscribe to the latest blog entries (RSS feed) via email which is a nice touch.
I think you’ll agree that www.AlopeciaAndLove.com is a great read and well worth bookmarking.
January 26th, 2008
Male pattern baldness for many men is a fact of life and the statistics are overwhelming when you consider 1 in 3 men will have male pattern baldness at some point in their lives. Whilst many are content to let nature take it’s course, for other men its not as simple as that as hair is a core part of our physical identity and losing it is often a emotionally painful process. Although there are many forms of hair loss treatment for male pattern baldness the question of whether to wear a hair piece is an inevitable question that men will ask themselves.
Perhaps what divides opinion about hair pieces is the sheer range of quality on offer and many people will either have known or seen someone wearing a bad toupee. The fact that someone will have put themselves through wearing something like that just goes to show that for some, being bald is the worst case scenario.
Of course there is always the other end of the spectrum and high quality hair pieces made from real human hair and fitted by experts can be a revelation. Some are so impressive that it’s almost impossible to tell the difference. Of course you get what you pay for and these alternatives can be expensive. So what are the alternatives and should men embrace baldness?
In today’s society thankfully its become more acceptable to have a shaven head. Just look at the amount of film stars, soccer players and fashion models that now sport shaven heads. Bruce Willis, Will Smith, Billy Zane and Vin Diesel have embraced the bald look and it has done them no harm at all. A recent documentary in the UK followed one man in his early twenties as he tried various hair loss treatments along with hair pieces and after posting photos of himself with and without hair on www.hotornot.com he found he had a higher score with his bald photo. There is certainly plenty of evidence to suggest many find bald men sexy.
Ironically men’s self esteem has probably never been at a lower level. In today’s highly pressured western society men are expected to have great jobs, make lots of money, be better lovers and look perfect at the same time. Whilst taking care of how you look isn’t necessarily a bad thing its important to take a step back and realise what’s truly important. Being comfortable in your own body is a far more attractive quality than we give credit for. Life is for living and it’s about making the most of what your blessed with so stop saying “I wish” and start saying “I will”.
January 25th, 2008
Just a quick update to let visitors know I have cleared up the Alopecia resources page as it was full of some junk sites that were of little or no use. I’m pretty sure I’ve got all the main ones but If anyone thinks I’ve left out any important alopecia or hair loss websites then please let me know.
January 21st, 2008