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azure , 29 Nov 2009

My forty-day plan....WHO'S WITH ME?!

Hey people! Okay, I've heard that in order to beat a bad habit, you have to NOT do that bad habit for forty days. Once you have successfully been habit-free for forty days (AND NO CHEATING), then the habit has been beaten. Hooray. And if you cheat, then you have to start all over again. It's supposed to be forty consecutive days. Okay.... So, I'm going to try to stop picking at my face and any other body part. I already cheated a bit, so today is DAY ONE. However, I'm happy to say that even though I did cheat a little bit, I did not go all out like I usually do. It's been three days. BUT, I did cheat, I acknowledge that, so today is officially DAY ONE. Would anyone like to join me? This is what I'm doing: I always pick in front of a mirror. So, now I spend as little time in the bathroom as possible. If I look in the mirror, I run out of the bathroom. But let's say I need to put make-up on (my make-up is in there anyway)...I open the door to the bathroom and then proceed to apply my make-up. My parents' bedroom is right across from the bathroom, and they have started to count how many minutes I'm in the bathroom. And this is a good thing! Moral support really helps even though it's technically an invasion of privacy! .....but now I'm worried that I'll develop a fear of mirrors.....so I look in the mirror a little bit everyday and spend a bit more time (like a few seconds, no need to stand right in front of it for a long time if I'm trying to beat this thing) in front of it everyday. I want to beat this thing, I want my life back and I want my face back. I could use the moral support and everyone's welcome to join me! Post your forty days here! Yeah, there's a huge chance that it's not going to work....but smokers have done the forty days too! This is also an addiction, and I'm sixteen years old. I've got my whole life to look forward to and I will beat this thing somehow. Starting right now. Let's see how I do for DAY ONE. WHO IS WITH ME?
162 Answers
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fadetoblack
February 23, 2010
I just can't make it through day 1! And when I give in and pick a little I just throw in the towel and pick everything. I feel like such a failure:( Thanks for letting me vent.
wildflower
February 23, 2010
i know how you feel. i truly do. try putting bandages on them at a time that they can be left on for the night. only take them off if you have to for presentation's sake. a bandage makes them that little bit more unavailable for a little bit longer and if they heal to such a point that you're not apt to pick at it that should be celebrated. celebrate each one you manage to NOT pick and hope the number of them only grows. good luck to ya.
fadetoblack
February 23, 2010
I've tried bandaids but am apparently allergic to the adhesive as they leave red welts on my body - which I then pick:( I also tried the liquid bandage stuff but then just really wanted to peel it off. What kind of bandages do you use? Maybe if I got gauze and cloth tape that would work.
wildflower
February 24, 2010
i reacted to many types of bandages too and decided it must be the latex in many of them. so, for a long long time (now believing i personally keep the company in business!! ) i use one kind most of the time. that is, the clear, round, latex-free riteaid bandages. and i've learned not to let anything, esp oils, interact with them. i've tried various ointments and lotions on the pad, honey even, but have come to the conclusion that applying the bandage itself onto newly cleaned skin works best. some sores will have enough time to heal over night but more serious ones require being covered longer.i can keep them on the same spot for days at a time successfully under clothing to allow healing to happen. with the sores covered, i leave them alone and they have a fighting chance to heal. when i can, and when needed (all too often actually) i will make a day i don't have to go out into the world a bandage day where i keep my bandages on that i would normally take off as long as i can). about the bandages, i even resort to customizing them by cutting them creatively to make larger ones for larger sores (eg. cutting part of the adhesive edge off and then laying it on another to lengthen the pad). i don't know where i'd be without them. i'd imagine infection would have gotten the better of me by now. now i just must learn to stop picking once and for all so that i don't need them what so ever.
nikwhorox
February 25, 2010
I have struggled with picking (among other bad habits) since I was younger...but never really knew what the problem was, or if there was a name for it. I am in an abnormal psychology class this semester and the past few days in lecture have been a bit uncomfortable (I happen to sit in the first row) when we've been discussing self-harm. Today I spent several hours researching online and came across answers to a lot of my questions. I have grown so frustrated with this compulsion over the years, and the scars I have developed because of it -- it is time for me to change this! So starting tomorrow morning, I will begin the forty day plan. Wish me luck!
wildflower
February 27, 2010
after a few set backs i think i might be up to this now. i'm almost at day three with 64 hours under my belt :):):) and by the time i wake up tomorrow i'll be there !!! :):):) although my finger pads still explore from time to time, i'm resisting letting my fingernails get involved and have not touched my tweezers. dare i say i'm feeling proud of myself?
ocdFreak
February 28, 2010
good for you! hang in there! that's fine if you're on day 3 right now too. i've seen you post a little while ago about starting this and i did too - and here i am - i just finished day 1! again!!!!!! well here goes. tomorrow will be day 2. again. just so i can start fresh, and try not to pick again, again. Really, I was doing REALLY well for awhile there - and then i had this HUGE assignment at school that i was REALLY lost on and it was due in a matter of hours. i was SO stressed that and felt so bad that i just started picking ALL the fresh skin that had FINALLYYYYY grown back. it felt good since the skin was thick and ready to be picked and came off so smoothly, but i felt horrible too because i knew i was putting myself right back where i really DID NOT want to go AT ALL. now tomorrow is day 2, but midterms are next week!!! will i be able to make it through midterms week or will i crack under the pressure and make my skin pay for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! well hopefully i'll spend my picking time studying instead...that should help my skin and my grades!! come on, nerves....we can do this.....day 2 here i come... oh yeah and guys, go to the gym if you can. i just started and i found that being active make me feel good, relieves stress, and oddly enough, makes my skin heal faster.
wildflower
February 28, 2010
thank you! i do intend to hang in there. sorry to hear you had a setback. it is not odd at all, by the way, that your visits to the gym are helping your skin heal. if you research wound healing you will learn that increased blood flow helps the process. and exercise simply helps you feel good. gyms aren't my thing but i hope with the end of winter coming soon that i will get out walking again and i know that, together with more sunlight, will also help with everything. i hope you manage to handle the stress you're faced with regarding your midterms without taking it out on your skin. study hard, exhaust yourself exercising, and sleep lots and well. sleep allows the healing too. all the best to you!
ocdFreak
March 02, 2010
Thanks 40daysfromnow and wildflower - i hope you guys accomplish alot in this ordeal.. but that's true eh? that abstaining from a habit will make the urges go away after 40 days? i hope so because this is really hard for me right now! midterms and all.... yesterday i picked a little but i think i may have went overboard...it was getting hard for awhile there to decide when i've crossed the line - or even where the line is - so i've decided to start over at day 1 again and not pick at all this time. i have to be serious with this, because all this starting over all the time is just not going to make me better at all. and i want all of us to heal - mentally and physically. and my birthday is this Saturday!!!!!!!!! a week's worth of untouched skin will be a present to myself.......wwwhhhoooo i hope i can do this! good luck to you all!!
wildflower
March 02, 2010
how about trying to implement a few rules re picking? like no fingernails and no tools. exfoliate only with a wash cloth. and at night for overnight put bandages on any spots you might unconsciously pick at, especially open sores so they have a chance to heal while you sleep. these might help you get further along and hopefully to your birthday. and beyond! i hpe you have a happy birthday regardless.
ocdFreak
March 07, 2010
thanks guys - and the urges are really that much weaker eh? that is amazing and awesome! well my last exam was yesterday and i got REALLY stressed out and picked.. it's going to seem non-progressive for me to have to start over from day one again, but i should i think. it is my birthday today!! and i've made some birthday resolutions. there are good habits that i should tone and some bad ones that i really just don't want to spend the rest of my life with. picking is one of those - now that i am a year older, i am not going to pick anymore. i thought i would have outgrown this by now but i clearly haven't so i have to really put an end to it. i want to change myself for the better this year, after all, fresh skin and no urges to pick at it would be the best birthday present i could ever give myself. You guys really gave me inspiration just now. diminishing urges, and wow 6 days from now my urges could possibly subside that much?!?!?! i can't wait!! all i have to do is get past the first 3 days, stress or no stress. 3 days is not a lot (of course each passing minute does seem to add up after a while...) but i'll walk around with fists or hands in my pockets all day if i have to just to keep them occupied. Once again, buenas suerte! good luck!
40daysfromnow
March 02, 2010
Thanks :) I have gone 6.5 days now and the urges are very weak now. I don't think it even takes 40 days. I think 20-30 is plenty. I tried antibacterial bandages. They are a bit more expensive. I put them on overnight and in the morning the wound area was soooo much better. Then DONT touch it, do it again the next night and it should be healed in no time. Good luck!
wildflower
March 03, 2010
i agree with you. the urges are weaker. they're still there, but weaker. yes, bandages help a bunch. congrats on your success too !! ... seems we're neck and neck !! ... congrats to both of us !! ... keep up the good work ((hugs))
40daysfromnow
March 01, 2010
Could be totally wrong here... but I think excersize releases corticosteroids which have an anti-inflamatory effect. So it could make blemishes less painful/noticable.
emmy1017
March 03, 2010
Well I made it 9 days... and now it's been at least a month since I even tried to start again! My face is really bad right now and my fiance hates that I pick especially when I pick at him! I really NEED to get this under control! My mom said I should stop wasting money on a dermatologists and see a psycologist instead! OK well tomorrow I am going to try to start again because somethings gotta give!
wildflower
March 03, 2010
i believe your mom might be onto something. i don't believe dermatologists are the answer. not alone, anyway. there is acne and then there's picking and the two are separate illnesses. the former can be treated somewhat medicinally, but the latter, being a psychological compulsion needs to be addressed with a different approach. cognitive therapy is one such approach. thought might be given to hypnotherapy. there are people reporting benefits by both. at least that is something to think about. and there's nutritionists that could also be consulted to investigate diet. i suggest looking into all avenues that might assist you with your struggle to win the battle. if you made it 9 days once, you can do it again, and longer. all the best to you. good luck.
moonlightblonde
March 03, 2010
I want to try this too but need support. I pick bad and wear makeup all the time to cover up the wounds. Seriously, I wake up and put concealer on just so my family doesn't have to see what I have done to myself. Starting yesterday I wore NO makeup. All day/all night. Such a thing shouldn't be this difficult. I am trying for today too. I just want to give my face a chance to clear up a bit. It is scary embarrassing to do this. I feel naked. I went to school like this too. It is hard to think about what people are being forced to endure. I have bdd. I have a huge phobia of mirrors. I can't look in them - well, unless picking but it is a different kind of focus. Even when wearing makeup all the time I had to keep the bathroom dark while I put it on. In order to not wear makeup I have been having to look in the mirror even less. I have a lung infection and am on an inhaler and everything right now =( coughing screwed up something in my back too so I can hardly move. I have a toddler so this is not an easy thing to deal with. As soon as I am better I want to make an effort to go to the gym and start taking care of myself for a change. I would like to do this makeup free too. I want to use makeup to enhance not as a shield to hide behind & right now that just isn't possible.
wildflower
March 05, 2010
i am now officially committing to the 40 day plan! i hesitated because prior to this it was difficult to make it beyond hours, let alone days. but now i am actually on DAY 10 !! so am in !! and i'm wishing everyone success with their efforts.
ocdFreak
March 07, 2010
omg! day 10? how are the urges? are there any? i just got finished replying to one of your posts further down this page - you're a lot further now wow!
40daysfromnow
March 07, 2010
I WAS on day 10.... now I'm on day 2. :( The urges were fine.. I just lost control for a bit. I am finding taking out light bulbs in the bathroom and only using candle light is a great idea (provided by another member here). Im going to go 40 days now. I have lots of great tips, lots of support and I'm so sick of my skin. I think this is really it. Day two is going alright. I can't wait for healthy skin again in 38 more days.

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