What is urge surfing? Therapist sheds light

What is urge surfing? Therapist sheds light

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Published on Nov 05, 2023 02:11 PM IST

  • From accepting that we have the urges to understanding that they are temporary, here is what you can do in urge surfing.

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Published on Nov 05, 2023 02:11 PM IST

Trichotillomania is a type of disorder when a person gets obsessed with pulling out their own hair. Symptoms of this disorder include compulsive pulling of hair and having bad patches on the head. Urge surfing is a mindful technique to combat Trichotillomania. “Urge surfing is a mindfulness technique which can be used in the context of managing Trichotillomania, a disorder characterized by the urge to pull out one’s hair. It involves paying close attention to the sensations and thoughts associated with the hair-pulling urge without trying to act on it or make it go away,” wrote therapist Maythal Eshaghian.(Unsplash)

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Explaining urge surfing, Maythal further added, "The idea is to ride out the urge like a surfer riding a wave. By observing the urge non-judgmentally and with curiosity, individuals with trichotillomania can gain a better understanding of their hair-pulling urges and develop healthier coping strategies to manage them. It’s a way of acknowledging that urges to pull hair are temporary and can be tolerated without giving in to them." (Unsplash)
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Published on Nov 05, 2023 02:11 PM IST

Explaining urge surfing, Maythal further added, “The idea is to ride out the urge like a surfer riding a wave. By observing the urge non-judgmentally and with curiosity, individuals with trichotillomania can gain a better understanding of their hair-pulling urges and develop healthier coping strategies to manage them. It’s a way of acknowledging that urges to pull hair are temporary and can be tolerated without giving in to them.” (Unsplash)

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The first step is to understand and acknowledge that we have the urge to pull out the hair. Accepting it will help in combatting it. (Unsplash)
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Published on Nov 05, 2023 02:11 PM IST

The first step is to understand and acknowledge that we have the urge to pull out the hair. Accepting it will help in combatting it. (Unsplash)

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The next step is to notice the feelings and the urges and know that we are having them, without trying to change them right away. (Unsplash)
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Published on Nov 05, 2023 02:11 PM IST

The next step is to notice the feelings and the urges and know that we are having them, without trying to change them right away. (Unsplash)

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We should try to remind ourselves that just like other feelings, urges are also temporary, and they will eventually pass on their own. (Unsplash)
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Published on Nov 05, 2023 02:11 PM IST

We should try to remind ourselves that just like other feelings, urges are also temporary, and they will eventually pass on their own. (Unsplash)

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We may feel uncomfortable for some time when the urges happen, but we should be calm and patient and let the urges pass away.  (Unsplash)
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Published on Nov 05, 2023 02:11 PM IST

We may feel uncomfortable for some time when the urges happen, but we should be calm and patient and let the urges pass away.  (Unsplash)

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