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cherrycolalola , 06 Jun 2010

getting through the night

Hi guys. I hope you are all doing okay and are fighting the good fight today! As for me, Im stressed about not picking right now. Its hardest for me at night, it always has been. I do the most damage at night, its a danger zone for me. So....lately I've been drinking too much coffee (really any coffee is too much given my anxiety and picking), but in any case its been waking me up in the middle of the night and I've been picking. It starts out small and Im usually only half awake/ half aware of what Im doing at first. Then, once I wake up more, I've been unable to stop. Im just nervous about doing it tonight. I really dont want to. The thing that scares me is I often feel like I've had a good day, and Im "sure I wont pick", and then that very same night Im at it for a few hours (a pattern I haven't fallen into in a while). Its like theres no guarantee I wont do it, no matter how solid I feel, which sucks and is contributing to the fear. Anyway, I just thought it would be wise to voice my anxiety on here. I think maybe just saying it might help dissolve some of the negative feelings Im having. Im also hoping that someone might have some advice or can relate. How do you all get through the roughest times of the day? In any case its great to vent. I love you all and Im very grateful for the space to share tonight.
4 Answers
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Kait
June 12, 2010
For me the toughest time to not pick is at night. My normal routine used to dictate picking for at least a half hour to hour every night. I have a lot of time on my hands right now so it's actually difficult to resist all day long. I try to focus on something else, anything else. If I go to the mirror I tell myself to stop, out loud if need be. Yesterday, I started to pick and made a spot bleed, felt really bad and decided to do something productive so I did the dishes and cleaned the stove. I still had an urge to pick so I went to the bathroom and started cleaning the counter, sink, floor, etc. By the time I finished the urge to pick was less and I felt like I had accomplished something good. Maybe you could try giving up the coffee for a bit or having less if you think it's contributing to the picking. Also, if you find yourself picking when you wake up try to consciously force yourself to do something else (get a glass of water, go for a walk around the house, tell yourself out loud to stop, anything to get your mind off of it). I know how hard it is to stop once you've started, time really does cease to exist. These are just a few things that I've found help somewhat. Much love to you.
brens
July 02, 2010
I pick at night, mostly my back, and it's so bad there will be little blood spots on the pillow the next morning. Sometimes I lie awake doing it for hours. I've begun taking excedrin PM to make me sleep more heavily so I wont' wake up and pick.
brens
July 03, 2010
last night for the first time I wore gloves to bed, and they really kept me from picking. it wasn't very sexy, but it kept me from picking.when I had an itchy urge i would just rub it with my glove. i took the gloves off to pee in the night and hands went right to picking, so it is really out of control that I can't control it for even 3 minutes. i also wore the gloves for driving yesterday and it kept me from picking. I don't understand why i can't simply just f@#*ing stop
wildflower
July 03, 2010
it's great that the gloves helped. keep it up. add other things that help. anything and everything that prevents the picking even for a little while is what is needed to break the ingrained insidious compulsion. medication and therapy might be in order but i believe that sometimes, just seriously addressing it as one would address a bad habit or addiction can work but it takes a plan, commitment, determination, and vigilance. a good support system is a plus. knowledge is power. we are intelligent beings and we must bank on that and use all resources available to achieve what we truly want.

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