I recently got my long hair chopped off to my chin. And by the way I acted in the lead up, you’d think I was preparing to jump out of a plane. (Actually, I have jumped out of a plane and I found that way more chill that getting rid of 20cm of hair.)

I stressed and stressed about how it was gonna go. What if my face is too round? What if I look like a baby? What if I look like a mum? What if it blurs out all my features and people start saying, “Her?”

I thought of every possible negative. But after one false alarm (I panicked and got two centimetres off in a previous appointment), I finally did it. And the sun still rose, I still went to work, and my friends can still recognise my face (or so they say).

I now really like my hair, and I’m so glad I finally cut it. In fact, I’m kind of proud of myself. Here’s why I think everyone should do something drastic to their hair at least once.

Prove To Yourself That You Can Do It

I cut my hair for exactly the same reason I jumped out of that plane: just to say I did it. I’m a notably non-adventurous person, so to push myself an inch outside of my comfort zone is a big deal.

But, as soon as you do it, you’ll realise how natural and exciting it is. Just like hairstylist Kristen Ess told Allure, “The initial plunge of losing substantial length can be scary for a lot of people. But once you see how fun the change of a new look can be, it can be addicting.”

It’s also great for your soul. Speaking to Quartz, therapist Christy Beck said that you can consider a haircut a form of self care. “You’re doing something for yourself to make yourself feel better,” she said. There’s a reason why so many emotional scenes in movies involve the character cutting their hair – it’s a turning point!

It’ll Change How You See Yourself

A new haircut brings with it a new sense of confidence and style. You know that Pinterest board of clothes you have but you’ve never seemed to buy? Or that actress you find impossibly cool and stylish? You have a new haircut now, so you can buy those clothes! You can emulate that actress! You can be a more “you” version of “you”.

A haircut proves that your identity isn’t stagnant – it’s changing all the time. It also proves that to other people as well. Tired of being seen a certain way? A haircut will fix that right up. Remember that scene in Scrubs, where Elliot was fed up with JD so she got that totally boss long bob and highlights? And JD’s jaw dropped? Yeah. That’s the stuff I’m talking about.

I acknowledge that changing your hair is a big deal. Because it seriously, seriously is. And no matter what anyone tells you, it goes further than just your appearance. So you have my permission to be scared. But you should still totally do it.

At the end of the day, it’ll always grow, right?