1st day Stopping my skin picking

Hi Ariel. I'm on a kick to stop as well. Restarting today as 24-hrs, pick-free--a good beginning. Good luck to you too!

Day 2 of No skin Picking Hooray! I have had a great day so far. Skin is healing, and with makeup on I feel pretty good. It seems to help when I look in the mirror and remember I am going to post my progress. I am positive that I will continue in my healthy skin journey! Best of luck to all!

Restart Ok I am going to start all over tomorrow. I just allowed my self to mindlesly pick and squeeze existing blemishes! I need to remember that I am accountable for my actions, and cannot squeeze or pick one tiny bump! My skin heals better on its own! OK gonna slather on some BP and pray for a good day tomorrow.

Ok so I am starting over tomorrow HAHA. I decided I couldn't leave this big zit alone and now its gross. I put some stuff on it and hope it looks halfway decent tomorrow after makeup. Why does this have to be so hard? I wil be really happy if I can make it to 3 days pick free! Jeez. I really have to buck up I have a wedding to attend soon and want to look OK....so here is to really not picking tomorrow!!!!! God help me!

Ok! Got to be positive! DAy #1! I NEED to look good for this wedding I am attending so I ABSOLUTELY am going to leave my face alone! The only major thing I have on it is this zit I squeezed that looks horrible but is healing!

Day 2 NO picking. The rest of my skin looks pretty great except for one healing big spot. But its healing. Will put neosporin and bandage back on it tonight right after i wash and dry my face!

I'm in! I just went two months without picking (longest stretch ever) and destroyed my face again last week. It's inflamed and a mess. I want in on this no-pick deal! juventas, do you know why you're doing this? It was incredibly helpful for me to realize that I use it to avoid stress in my life (and yes, I do have OCD but I always suspected that there was more to mine than just a compulsive habit... habits have to form from something). Unfortunately, it took me 20 years to realize that it was a means of avoidance. What I found very helpful over my pick-free summer was distraction. I do all my picking in the nighttime, when everyone is in bed. Three things helped me A LOT: (1) In classic OCD-style, I started making a mental list of the things that had to be done before I went to bed that night (making lunches, ironing clothes for work, etc.). I decided I would let myself pick as a reward for getting it all done, as ridiculous as that sounds. But I wasn't cutting myself off, so to speak - so my brain seemed to accept that. By the time I finished, I was too tired to pick. (2) I was very passionate about kickboxing in my 20s and recently decided to get back into it. Now when I feel the urge to pick, I immediately walk away from whatever I'm doing and start practicing my kicks or punches. I might be in the kitchen, I might be in the bathroom. I'm usually exhausted to start with and as with #1, I'm usually too tired to keep going - and the urge to pick diminishes as a result of the distraction. (3) Sleeping in makeup. I know a lot about skin and I hate to encourage sleeping in makeup, but my most detrimental times are in the late evening, when I wash everything off. I told myself that at the end of the day, I would only pick what was pickable through makeup (which isn't a lot - most blackheads and red spots are hidden - the ones I'd be obsessed with if the makeup was off). I might find two or three spots, then give up. I refused to wash off the makeup until the next morning. Needless to say, every morning, the redness had gone down a bit and the wounds were starting to heal. I'm not saying any of these three will apply to/work for you. I'm just trying to make a point about the power of distraction. When you have the urge to pick, DO SOMETHING ELSE. But know ahead of time what it's going to be, and choose something that you know will keep your attention. Don't just wander around looking for something or you'll end up picking. I hope this helps someone - it certainly took me long enough to figure out.