I must make decisions daily for business, my family, and for my own well being. The process of adapting and juggling various responsibilities during Covid-19 can be overwhelming for all of us, especially if we process new information all the time in an environment of heightened uncertainty.
Did you notice you were more tired lately, working from home? One more reason to be intentional in how we care for ourselves. Having a process that simplifies complexity can help with many aspects of life. To make decisions less stressful, I have three rules:
1. Choose Simplicity: Go To The Source of the Problem
When I deal with a problem, I do my best to figure out a WHY (one core reason for my issue, a hypothesis), and then I work on that specific problem. This way I avoid the stress of going over and over multiple options and possibly, becoming paralyzed by complexity.
For instance, let’s say I assume that my hair loss is due to the lack of vitamins (that would be my Why) then I will select a few vitamin options to choose from. If I think that hair loss is due to stress, and inflammation – which are two main culprits for hair loss — I go to the source of hair, the scalp, and nurture it to strengthen the hair follicles with a topical scalp treatment.
2. Be Consistent: Do Something Ridiculously Small Every Day to Run the Experiment
Giving myself a finite period of time to explore results– not too short to blindside me to the lack of progress, and not too long to be exhausting– can be a big stress reliever since I don’t have to consider that decision, again, every day. I give myself a few months to run the experiment.
For instance, if I select hair vitamins as my solution, I make a point to take the pills daily for a period, and then I re-assess. Or, if I choose to grow my hair by nourishing the scalp (just as the soil of my garden, the scalp needs support to be able to promote hair growth), then I apply the scalp treatment daily, for a defined period of time. Plus, I take pics at the beginning and end of the process to make sure I am objective in what I see.
3. Analyze Results: Be As Objective As You Can
This part is always difficult since there are so many emotional aspects that influence how we look at issues that affect us deeply.
Did you notice that you and a friend can look at the same set of facts and see something entirely different? Same is true when it comes to what we believe it serves our well being. Unless we document the results of our actions it is difficult to take a step back and look at the big picture.
We live in a complex world, and it takes a lot of effort and energy to make any process simple and reliable. Documenting (our hair growth, nutrition or exercise) helps us understand better where we can make changes for maximum impact.
Look for early signals of progress in anything you wish to improve.
Don’t Forget To Celebrate Small Wins
For most people, hair is not a minor priority. Hair sends signals about our health, personality, creativity, age, and race.
Making decisions about our well being, hair regeneration included, does not have to be a difficult process always. We could adapt to stress better by streamlining our process– going to the root of the problem and figuring out the minimum we can do every single day to reach our goal. Small steps can take us far. Also, celebrating small wins enhances our confidence and well being as we grow and develop.
Take the Mereltä Hair Quiz to learn how to improve your hair’s wellness.