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Hazel22 , 16 Dec 2022

Toenail picking

So, I finally decided to Google "Why am I obsessed with picking my toenails completely off...I found this site and to my surprise I'm not alone! First let me say it's a comfort to know that I'm not alone...I'm so tired of just not being able to stop...I pick and think I need to stop or my toes are going to be red and it will be throbbing and sore enough to hurt to walk later...but it's like I can't stop. My two older children (4 and 7) will stop me because they know I will start bleeding...it's horrible Because I just wait for them to look away and I start again! How pathetic is that?!?! I've been doing this as long as I can remember but it has gotten worse the past couple years. I'm not sure why. My life isn't stressful. I have 3 incredle kids! A great hardworking husband... he is gone for long periods of time with being in the navy but I don't feel like that is connected to the picking...the time I normally pick is while watching TV. I want to stop...I'm not sure if I should seek out help or who to even ask for help...I also pick the dead skin off my heals to the point of my feet being sore and sometimes ill pull my eyebrow lashes out....Thanks for reading

1 Answer
ipickpink
February 09, 2023

I just wanted to let you know I have been picking at my toes for years, I'm talking like since I was a young child. And I didn't just pick them till they bleed. No at this point some of my toenails have been damaged down to the nail bed as I have completely removed them from picking them off. 

I pick at them as an unconscious habit, but as I have processed the triggers I have found that for me if there are any rough or sharp edges my nails get caught on something I am.more likely to pick at them. So it took some time and im.not perfect at it. But when I realize that I have picked one or more off I will file the rest of them down so that I am not tempted to pick the other ones. 

And so far that has actually helped alot. 

Just saying your not the only one. Hope you have a great day! 

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