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Hello. First Post.
Hi. I want to stop picking. It has gotten a lot worse in the past few years. I've had a lot of stress in my life and have started picking at my chest instead of just my face. In some ways I guess it is better that I am picking somewhere most people can't see.
I just read another post about a girl who won't stop picking at her boyfriend. That is me, too. My boyfriend knows I pick, and he is very kind about it. But his skin is so much more fun to pick than mine! He has amazing pimples and blackheads and picks (not to a pathologic degree) at them and lets me sometimes. But it becomes hard for me to control and hard to stop when he asks me.
It's like an addiction. I wish I could stop. I can only go a few days at most without messing everything up again.
September 18, 2013
Hello! I know your struggles. I began picking at my arms then face and moved around to my chest and back. I understand that it feels like an addiction. You get the same excitement from picking as you would from winning on a slot machine. You just want to keep searching for that satisfying "pop" and when it comes it feels awesome and you keep searching for more. How long do you spend picking? When you feel the urge to pick, begin to do something else that brings out that same excitement as picking, for me its playing a game on my phone or if my urge is really bad I youtube videos of zits being popped. Try to think about the consequences of your picking. Do you get mad about the marks and scars? Is it really worth damaging your skin for a tiny pop? It may seem worth it at the time but just remember the negativity you will feel when your done. Also try out some stress reliever such as knitting yoga or whatever suits your interest. Let me know how your journey goes. Best of luck
September 18, 2013
Its true, my boyfriends pimples just seem better! And thats because around this topic, my brain is not normal. Its obsessive. So if I see zits on him, big or small, my anxiety starts to rise, I obsess and chances are i will pick at my own skin! Which isn't fun, because I pick before anything is ready, and cause way more damage that way. http://www.mindfulrp.com/For-Clinicians.html This Meditation website is amazing! My habit reversal therapist showed me this site. It has a few meditations (scroll down) and its free! The one to listen to if you want to pick is called Urge Surfing.. It sounds weird but personally when I get the urge to pick, its very tough to think about anything else, and in order to relieve the built up anxiety that comes with the urge, I pick. I release pressure. So this has helped me practice noticing that even if I really, really want to pick, the feeling will pass! The anxiety will disappear, and you don't have to act out on your compulsion. Picking is an addiction for me, its a weird thing with anxiety. I pick to relieve anxiety, yet when I pick I become anxious in ALL areas of my life because I feel ashamed. I cant tell you how many times Ive heard "Popping it only makes it worse!" As if I didn't know that! I don't understand people who just leave it alone, but I truly have hope that will happen for me. This wont last forever.
September 18, 2013
Helpful to read both your comments.I just recently bought Dr. Grossbart(of this site)'s book so I'll post back with good suggestions for helping stopping when I come across them. I agree with other posters that simply telling yourself not to is not enough. You have to employ proven techniques for interrupting the picking, habit reversal, etc. Good luck to you both!
September 18, 2013
Helpful to read both your comments.I just recently bought Dr. Grossbart(of this site)'s book so I'll post back with good suggestions for helping stopping when I come across them. I agree with other posters that simply telling yourself not to is not enough. You have to employ proven techniques for interrupting the picking, habit reversal, etc. Good luck to you both!
October 02, 2013
Hey this is my fist post I'm 18 and I have been picking my lip for about three years now I only pick the bottom lip and I only pick in a way so there is no pain i dont have the urge so much that im willing to take the pleasure of the feeling over the pain. There are times when i can stop for a day but after i go to sleep ill do it at some point the next morning without realizing i was trying to stop. the longest i went without was a weak, and then i just thought hey what the hell and i was back in the cycle again its really hard to ignore the urge when im anxious and ive actually been using it as a form of procrastination. when i go to study for a test i start picking while i am reading then that turn into me JUST picking and i dont stop. I dont remember what it was like not to pick how life would be different. my biggest problem with it is that when i do it for hours i feel it is taking away good portions of my life that can be spent doing other things. i have also noticed that i have no problem not picking when i am preoccupied with a fun activity i can go hour without doing it but when i am sitting or laying down somewhere my hand always works its way up to my lip. my worst fear is that even if i do break the habit will the urges still be there forever? like when a cocaine addict sees pictures of cocaine they want to use will i get chapped lips and be unable to resist?