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nadine , 25 May 2013

relapse

Here I am again, dealing with this self destructiveness that i had promised myself i'd never fall into again. Today has officially been a week since i don't go out of home because of the way i look, my problem is that whenever i feel stressed i find relief in picking/peeling off my skin and my lips. I was hoping that about today all my pickings would heal and i would be able to go out and feel like i'm living for something again, but no, instead i'm stuck here again!! I have to deal with myself now for another week or so i guess because i just picked again at all the wounds that had been healing, how are they supposed to disappear now... i need some kind of miracle to stop this because i remember a few days ago i was so determined to quit this thing but yesterday it all started again almost like a flashback, it's awful now i don't feel like doing anything i don't feel motivated at all i'm just here overwhelmed having to accept the fact that i'll probably have to stay indoors for another week, now it would be two weeks in a row... it almost feels like a prison.
3 Answers
rosa111
May 26, 2013
Nadine, thanks for being brave to share what you're going through. Like you i have often been discouraged. It's been 2 months since I started to work on this habit of 15 years seriously and today I am on day 13 of the 21 day challenge. I have never in my whole life gone this long without picking. My abstinence from picking has not been perfect and that's ok. My picking is rooted in my perfectionism I believe, and so i feel that expecting perfection here would probably defeat the purpose. I am willing and ready to slowly make change in the direction of not harming myself anymore. If you're doing the best you can, trust that you are making progress in the right direction. Some things that have helped me work to reverse habit have been attending 12 step meetings (I replace whatever compulsion the group talks about with "compulsive skin picking"), journaling about the anxiety I feel before I pick, calling a friend to vent about my anxiety before I pick, and praying. Recently I found this blog, and have found this tapping technique helpful as well: http://www.bfrbcoaching.com/1/post/2013/04/eft-tapping-for-dermatillomania-video.html?utm_source=BFRB+Coaching&utm_campaign=d4dd3609a2-May_20135_1_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_95c8d6c9ce-d4dd3609a2-72557513 Best of luck and keep us posted on how you're doing. You are not alone. Rosa
nadine
May 29, 2013

In reply to by rosa111

Thank you. I did see the video, must be helpful if you really try it, but so far I've been doing alright, of course not perfect yet, but I'm trying and as long as I keep trying that's what's important. So far haven't picked badly like before, I'm gonna go to a summer job next week so I gotta give a nice impression on my looks. I'm starting next Tuesday so things should be alright by then. I will keep up on this site whenever I can, helps me knowing there are people having the same issues as me who trying to improve. Anyway, hope things get better for you too :)
thebeautifulugly
June 07, 2013
Same... I definitely feel your pain girl. I hide myself away after i pick and dont want anyone to see me, and when i didnt have a job this could be weeks at a time :/ I also know exactly what you mean when you say you're determined one day, and then a few days later you'll be picking again like its no big deal. it absolutely sucks. i question all the time why i even have an inclination to pick my skin in the first place, and i dont think any of us really knows the answer to that. but i do know it helps A TON to go on this website and read about other peoples struggles, because it helps us to know we're not alone!! for awhile i honestly thought it was just me, like i seriously thought no one else in the world did this. I too have felt like i needed some kind of miracle to quit picking once and for all.. in fact i felt like that just yesterday when i relapsed.. but then i pull myself together and think "no i can do this on my own. i got this". and it helps :) i know you can quit!!! we all can. we're in this together.

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