Great Expectations.

Got head lice? This blog can give you tips and techniques on how to beat it.  But before you even worry about the bugs on the head, you need to deal with the thoughts inside it - what are you feeling?  Are you freaking out or staying calm? Dreading the worst or expecting the best? If you want to beat this problem, you need to make a decision now about the attitude you will have going into it.  Your attitude can make or break how successful you are in managing your head lice.  If you start this battle by being panicked, paranoid, or petrified,  you are going to make it a bigger problem than it really is.  These extreme feelings and attitudes toward head lice can cause you to deal with it in a couple of different ways.  When you allow yourself  to have extreme feelings about head lice, you usually take extreme actions, such as:

• Becoming hyper-vigilant and managing the problem by staying busy all the time doing tasks that are not necessary, not effective, and possibly harmful because you are feeling overwhelmed.
• Avoiding the problem entirely and doing nothing because you are feeling overwhelmed.

Neither of these responses will be helpful to you and will probably cause a strain on your time, resources, relationships and personal wellbeing.  However, if you can put aside the panic, get the actual facts about head lice,  and stick to the simple tasks that need to be done, such as regular wet combing, you will be more than able to get through it. 

I recently heard from a family that got themselves informed about head lice and became their own lice experts.  It became evident to me that they approached their head lice issue with the right attitude when the father of the family told me that his 8 year old daughter had been going around the house singing this catchy little ditty:

"Bed bugs are mean but lice are nice!"  (T., I think you are AWESOME!!!)

This family did not see head lice as a sickness, punishment, or failure.  They treated it like one of life's inconveniences and obviously addressed it with patience, perseverance and humour.  And they beat it! 

You can too.  Give your lice a bit of attitude (positive, that is!).  Expect the best outcome here. If you don't want to sing about lice being nice, then come up with your own mantra to keep your spirits up through this process. Quote Rosie the Riveter, the Little Engine That Could, Barack Obama, or even Yoda if it helps you to stay positive. With a good attitude (your thoughts) and some helpful information (this blog) I know you can deal with head lice effectively.