Skin picking

[yzme]

I have always been quite an anxious person, occasionally picking/scratching my skin. Over the past six months my anxiety seems to have gone sky high making the picking worse! I was picking my face and managed to stop but it led to me picking my hands. Over the past few weeks I’ve started picking both my hands and face, and it’s the worst it has even been. Has anyone had similar and managed to stop? I’ve tried distracting myself etc. but often do it without realising or once it’s too late.

I do. More because I like to pick rather than MH I think though. At the minute it's the crease behind both ears. Usually it's my scalp.

I'm going to buy a couple of cheap moisturisers and dot them round the house as that helps once I get into the habit of moisturising every time I see a pot.

I picked my fingers from the age of about 8 due to severe anxiety. I stopped last year at the age of 44. I had tried lots of time because obviously its embarrassing when people ask what happened to your hands, so you try and hide them as much as possible. Even switching the hands I write with depending in which looked better. Its exhausting. And if they get wet they look worse - all they dry bits swell and turn white. I needed a barrier to stop myself. Wear gloves, keep your hands so moisturised they're greasy. Anything to stop any dry bits that are ripe for picking. It took me a good 12 weeks - I was a prolific picker - did it without thinking, it is a habit and a stress reliever. You need to break the habit and find an alternative to relieve the stress. There are some really good support groups online. Don't beat yourself up if you have a bad day. If you've been doing it a long time you're going to have set backs. Don't spiral. You will get there but you also need to take it very slowly. Try not picking for an hour at first and keep your nails short. I am no longer embarrassed about my hands and it has honestly changed my life. No longer embarrassed about handing over money to a cashier, taking a menu in a restaurant, just daft things that most people do without thinking were excruciating for me. I feel like a weight has been lifted off me now. 🌻