Rben, that's the EXACT same thing that happened to me. I was APL (relaxed) and thought that if I kept growing my hair and relaxing, I'd be coming up on BSL.
I felt this URGE to mini chop (because of massive splits and uneveness) and did so on January 1st. I feel so much better now. I may braid my hair very soon with extensions to keep my hands out of it but I hope to start treating my hair as if it were natural (more cowashing, practicing twists, cornrows, etc). For me, it was the perfect way to kick of the new year.
Mini chop pics:
http://lilmissobsessive1.blogspot.com