Reader Mail: Taking Setbacks in Stride?

I got an email from a reader who is currently experiencing a setback.  She noted that I appear to have taken my setbacks in stride.  I want to share my response to her, in the hopes that it will help someone else. 

"To be honest, I never took my setbacks in stride at the time they were happening lol.  Looking back I'm able to have more perspective. But in the midst of it, I obsessed over it, lost sleep, and sometimes cried.  The key is to not let the setback, hold you back from moving forward.  For me, it was more about allowing someone to do something that I KNEW was bad for my hair.  So I was more upset with myself, and felt I let myself down.  The great thing about pictures, is that I'm able to see improvement, so that encourages me and reminds me that I will bounce back.  I also got a lot of encouragement from the ladies on the hair forums.  At the time of my last setback, the ladies on KISS were wonderful and helped me to feel better.


Look at this experience as a lesson.  Now you know that you have to speak up for your hair and don't let anyone break your hair rules.  The great thing about hair is that it will grow back.  I looked at your pictures and your hair still looks great.  Having perspective helps immensely.  It's like that saying "I was sad about not having shoes, until I met someone who had no feet."  Things could always be worse and you know how to make them better."   

I didn't always take my setbacks in stride.  But I did learn from each experience and didn't make the same mistake twice.  This year I cut 7" of hair.  Rewind to two years ago, if I had to cut 7", I would have been devastated.  But now that I'm confident in my ability to bounce back from a setback, I finally can take things in stride.  It's a growing process (pun intended).