Stressed Hands & Hair

I finally took a day to fix my nails last week- just a gel manicure (already chipped of course).  I found a nice and almost empty salon, that gradually got crowded very quickly after I arrived.  There was one younger woman who they were just finishing up on, and so I had no wait time.  It was nice for a change to no wait.  Minutes after I sat down, two older women came in accompanied by their small white dog, and then another woman with extremely long orange, Halloween inspired nails took a seat next to me.

"I'm going to change my Halloween Jack-o-Latern painted nails into turkeys!" she exclaimed.

That's nice, I thought.  I got my nails painted a very dark purple.  I don't think the manicurist much liked my color choice, but I never was one to paint my nails in season too much.  I have also never had the desire to apply girly rhinestones or turkey faces on my nails.

Usually I kind of squirm in my seat if the person doing my nails starts massaging my hands and arms, and neck and shoulders, but today I didn't mind.  It really felt good.  She did it before I got my nails done, not afterwards which I thought was a little odd.  She also had to ask me to "relax my fingers" which I apparently have a very hard time with.

How does one relax their fingers?  Do have overly intense hands?  Is it because I've typed most of my life?  Are my fingers just too heavy.  What can I do to relax my fingers?  Do I need to imagine my fingers floating on the surface of a pool?  Or do I need to picture them running through the sand on a sunlit beach in some exotic island, or imagine them going through the hair of some handsome celebrity?  I have no idea how to relax my fingers, and the more I think about it at the salon, the more tense I get.  I invite all suggestions on this subject.

Well, after paying for my tense, stubby nails, I left the salon and noticed a hair place nearby.  I needed a trim because I was noticing that my hair was getting tangly at the ends, and I just needed to cut those split ends, so I decided to just drop in for a $15 haircut.

I wasn't expecting anything but a quick trim, but the girl who did the deed turned into my personal hair specialist.  I wasn't looking for one, but I got the advice anyway.  After she proceeds to comb my hair (which is still wet from this morning's wash) she asks me,

"Have you been stressed lately?"

I tell her about my recent move, and she smiles and nods her head and proceeds to tell me that it is showing in my hair.  Your hair is damaged, she says.  She goes on to tell me how her hair has been breaking because of her recent move and that half her hair fell out.  Lovely.  That makes me feel so much better.  Not.  I appreciated her candid conversation but at the same time, what she said just made me feel even more stressed.

"If I were you, I would consider a good chop after the holidays."

What?!  A good chop?!  I asked her what she mean't by a good chop.  She takes the hand mirror and shows me where the cut should be, and she is pointing to the area just below my neck.  Uhh... I don't think so lady!  I nod my head, and say nothing, but inside I'm screaming saying no f'ing way!  I simply don't do short hair.  I tried it in my 20's per suggestion of the first husband, and I hated it and vowed never to do it again.

Now, lately I've been looking at my hair more closely wondering if my hair is in such bad shape.  I asked my husband, "Does my hair look bad?"  He laughed and said, "No, it's beautiful!" and it was followed by a kiss on my forehead.  But of course he is going to say that.  Do I really expect him to say, "Gee, Julie, it looks terrible?"  Of course not.  He likes my hair long, just like I do.

So now I'm trying to be more cautious of my hair, and finding myself doing what I hear never to do: looking up stuff in the internet, and of course I'm reading the worse case scenarios of hair loss and damage due to stress, and how it could be signs of diabetes.  Lovely.  No, not feeling stressed at all at the moment, thanks to the unsolicited advice and a $15 haircut.