Free Reward Chart for Your Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB)!

My Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB) Breaker Chart! Reward Yourself

To help you break the chain with your body-focused repetitive behavior, I made a reward chart. I’ve been using the chart myself, and it’s been visually helping me see my progress. I’ve been focusing on the good and what I have accomplished. It also allows me to see that the times I didn’t reach my goal aren’t as significant as I make them out to be in my head.

My goal isn’t to be pull-free. I feel that puts a lot of pressure on oneself and causes more problems. Especially since I can be perfectionistic at times, being pull-free has an “all-or-nothing” mindset. My goal was to be kinder to myself. My goal has been to learn new coping mechanisms and to figure out what barriers I like in order to manage my trichotillomania. My goal has been acceptance of myself-trichotillomania and all.

This leads me to the reward chart that gives me something to look forward to every day.

How to Use The Chart

The chart begins with your start date and daily goal. Your goal can be anything. For example, perhaps you pull your hair frequently. You almost make it to an hour without pulling but have trouble reaching the one-hour mark. Your goal could be going one hour without pulling.

In the reward section, write down a small reward you’d like to give yourself.

If you reach that goal at least once in the day, give yourself a sticker. Or a check mark, smiley face, etc. The idea of this reward chart is to reward yourself and not constantly think about your BFRB. You are more than your BFRB. You’re an amazing person that has a ton of great qualities who also happens to pull their hair, pick their skin, bite their cheeks, etc. And it normally doesn’t help to think about something you’re trying to overcome or manage all of the time.

You can give yourself a reward every day or wait until you fill all seven squares, then give yourself an award. My reward is my favorite cup of tea at the end of each day. I love blueberry tea and also chai. It gives me something to look forward to and is simple.

When I complete all of the squares, I’ll give myself a bigger reward.

You can use this chart in whatever way that suits your goals. When I have not met my goal for the day, I use a pen to make a small mark in between squares. I leave the square blank and try the next day again. I personally don’t use an “X” to mark out a square because I’m focusing on my achievements. I can still visually see the times I’ve pulled because of the ink pen mark, but it’s not something I focus on.

If you’re more comfortable using an “X” feel free to do that or anything that is comfortable for you.

Adjust your goal if you need to if you’re finding it to be very challenging.

As of writing this article, I’ve gone almost three weeks of meeting my goal and a couple of small marks to show I didn’t meet my goal.

But make sure you’re giving yourself a reward that you like and makes you feel good.

Ideas for Rewards

Rewards can be anything that genuinely makes you happy or feel good. I’ll give you some ideas, but this list is far from complete:

Tea, massage (professional or maybe someone you know could massage your head, shoulders, or feet), bubble bath, watching a favorite show, reading a book, playing a favorite game, playing your favorite songs on an instrument, manicure, pedicure, treat yourself to a favorite coffee or non-alcoholic drink, favorite icecream or treat, etc.

I recommend a small, inexpensive reward for your daily or weekly goals. But I think it’s a good idea to give yourself something bigger when you’ve reached a higher goal. For example, I reward myself with my favorite cup of tea at the end of the day. But once I go a month with my chart full of stickers, I’d like to go to one of my favorite hikes that’s a little far away. It’s something that I can look forward to and makes me feel genuinely happy.

The Charts are Editable

I’ve made two charts, so depending on your needs and goals, you can choose which one is best for you. One chart has seven blocks and five rows (kind of like a calendar). The second chart is for however you want to use it. If you want to put more stickers in per day, you can use that chart. Or, if you’re at a point where you want a challenge, you could use it as a challenge chart. But I recommend going easy on yourself and achieving small goals first.

The charts are editable if you do not have access to a printer or do not want to print them out. I use the free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can use digital stickers or images that you have to put in the squares.

If you want to print them out but don’t have access to a printer, visit your local library. They normally have sheets for free or low cost per page.

What is your BFRB plan?

Starting a reward chart and creating goals is a good idea. But having some kind of plan will help you get even further. If you’re in therapy, that’s great! You can use the chart if you like or talk to your therapist about it. If you want to focus on self-help right now, check out this article here about a couple of books I’ve read that I found to be very helpful.