How do you just let your hair grow?

I know it's a silly question, but bear with me. For years, maybe a decade, I have been slave to a strict hair cutting regime because, well, just because it was there, really. It has reached the stage where my own style was becoming irrelevant to me, due to the frequency of its short term change, but long term predictability (are you with me so far?). I was always known for wierd and different hairstyles, but as this became the norm, it became less and less interesting. So I have now decided to let it grow, now to about mid-length. The thing is, I'm having to resist the urge daily to have it cut off again! Now I'm not going to see a shrink because that still carries something of a stigma in the UK, so the question I am asking is this: Can someone who has gone through the process of growing their hair out please just talk me through the process? It is something I have not done since the early 80s and have simply forgotten how to do it! If there is anyone who has actively resisted the urge to cut their hair, been successful and had new hairstyling vistas opened up to them, please let me know - this could be make or break!