Is Baldness Something You Dread?
You’re certainly not alone.
Maybe you’re like me, and you have a horrible head shape. Or, perhaps you’re as white as Edgar Winter, the famous albino singer, and you’re afraid you’d essentially be translucent if you buzzed your head.
You’ve probably already pictured yourself as bald man, and I’m guessing you didn’t like what you saw. Or, maybe you loved your imaginary bald head! If so, this article on embracing hair loss is for you.
The rest of you, stay with me.
Getting Comfortable with the Worst-Case Scenario
This is important. You’ve built up androgenic alopeica, AKA pattern balding, as this monumental and horrific process. You’ve given it some, perhaps a significant amount of control over you, your thoughts, and your emotions. And the prospect of end-stage hair loss, a la Dr. Phil or Prince William, is terrifying to you.
My MPB Magic Wand
Presto!
Now you’re bald.
Sort of like this….
That’s Brian Stelter of CNN. A bald man at only 31-years-old. You can have short hair or a buzz cut in this exercise, that’s your call.
Ta da!
I want you to really take in this image: you’re totally bald, and it’s the not-too-distant future.
Your objective is to become so immersed in this exercise, that you actually believe it’s happening.
Here’s the situation:
You approach a beautiful woman (or guy) at a bar.
What are you thinking, feeling, smelling, seeing, and hearing as you walk up to her?
Try not to trip.
Okay, you made it, the journey across the bar is complete.
She smiles at you.
What’s your opening line? You better make it a good one…
Success!
Of course she didn’t blow you off because you’re bald!
Now you’re talking to her. Hear the conversation play out in your mind. You say something, she responds, and it ricochets back and forth. See the room, feel the presence of the other patrons, taste your alcoholic beverage, watch her lips as they move.
Take a moment to picture yourself as well. What do you look like? How are you presenting yourself to the world? Remember, you’ve been bald for awhile. How has your sense of style changed, given that you no longer have hair? What does your body look like? Are you in better or worse shape?
The Benefits of Visualizing Negative Experiences
The biggest benefit of visualizing negative outcomes is that it can help you realize that the “worst-case scenario” you’ve been dreading isn’t going to be as horrible as you thought.
It can help you view a situation rationally, as opposed to emotionally.
During your exercise, you may have even started to develop a contingency plan of sorts. You were bald for a few minutes there. Maybe you imagined yourself in better shape. Perhaps you dressed in a more fashion-forward way. You created a new identity for yourself, and hopefully in the process, started to realize that baldness isn’t going to make or break you.
Consider writing it down
If you’re struggling to visualize yourself as a bald man, open up your eyes and write out a story with a similar plot line to the one I mentioned above.
You’re bald, in a bar, and you’re approaching an attractive woman or man.
What are you thinking, feeling, seeing, smelling, and hearing? Transcribe your interaction word-for-word, thought-for-thought, one second at a time.
Michael Gervais, a prominent sports psychologist and visualization expert, says that the most effective imagery uses all five senses (source). So, be as descriptive and as realistic as you can possibly be. Picture yourself too, and recount your new look/persona in your write-up.
That’s all I have for you today. Give this exercise a shot if you have a chance, I think you’ll find it helpful. Cheers.
You May Also Like
- Hair Loss – The Heart of the Matter
- Balding? Insecure? Here’s How to Fake It Until You Make it In Life
- George Carlin’s Best Advice for Balding Men
- Bald Comic Bill Burr’s 6 Tips for Getting Over Hair Loss
Robert Price is a writer, consumer advocate, and hair loss researcher with thousands of hours of experience in the field. His goal is to keep you out of the hair loss rabbit hole, underworld, or whatever you want to call it. He founded Hair Loss Daily, the unbiased hair loss blog, in 2016. You can learn more about Robert in the my story section of this website.
As a small boy I visualized myself male pattern bald like my favorite uncle and one of my grandfathers and decided it was my BEST case scenario, not my worst. It looked good on them and I was sure it would look great on me. It does look good on me and my lovely wife agrees heartily. Unfortunately, I had to wait until my early 50s to know for sure, but when it finally happened, it happened fast: I went bald in less than two years. Those two years were a second honeymoon for my wife and me, as I went bald and she let her schoolgirl figure go and cut her gorgeous long hair short. She loves my male pattern baldness and I love her soft, plump, curvy figure. A win-win for both of us. Twenty years later, I still love being bald and I love my wife’s even softer and curvier figure.