Online Test

Find out the severity of your symptoms with this free online test

Take the test
rosie , 18 Feb 2010

40 Day Challenge! Count me in!

Hi everyone! I've been on this site for a year or two now, but I always just read the forum and don't contribute much... but, it's time that I finally change. I'm a 23 yr old Canadian and I've been a picker since grade 4. I'm studying to be a psychologist and I therefore have a lot of good info in my head about behaviour change and anxiety, but I've had such problem using the knowledge I'm learning! I've also been to a counsellor for my picking/anxiety probs, but I still never fully implemented what I learned. But I've picked for so long! Mostly my face and chest, sometimes legs/scalp. But I feel everyone's pain, shame, and anxiety. And I LOVE you all!!! I have my own housecleaning business and I'm always in houses alone, and of course that means I'm stuck cleaning bathroom mirrors... and it often goes bad for me. Today I was having a really strong day, I wasn't even paying attention to my skin! And then at the very end of the day I got anxious and picked at my face WAY too long. All alone in someone else's house. Isn't that weird? It's so stupid that I don't even care where I am! Anyhow, today is the end of this for me. This is the one-millionth and one time I'm quitting. And I always tell myself that I've tried everything to quit... and then my mom said that I had tried everything EXCEPT trying really hard. That hit home for me. Also, my counsellor told me that all behaviour changes (cognitive behavioural therapy) involve the ABCs (affect/feelings, behaviour, cognitive/thinking). So how it works for us pickers is that you must FIRST change the behaviours. You might not think you want to, and it might not feel good or right at all. But change the behaviour completely. Then, within days to a few weeks, your thinking (cognition) will change on it's own. You won't think about skin like a crazy person anymore! And then finally your feelings will change, and you'll feel all better about yourself and your new life. He estimated for me that the whole process until your feelings finally change is about 3 months or so after changing a bad behaviour. I hope this helps you all maybe. I'm also going to write some messages of motivation and encouragement on my bathroom mirrors and shower in candlelight. I hate having to wear makeup! I can't wait until tomorrow to start my new life! Good luck to everyone tonight! Please let me know how your 40 day challenge is going!!!
100 Answers
Add Comment
alex56
May 09, 2010
I picked :( i kept restarting my days all week . i know my depression is making me pick. but should i try to avoid the depression or avoid picking? i dont know where exactly to start. i had my boyfriend doing that for awhile too! lol i try giving myself rewards but when i get depressed its just like i dont care. im back to day 1. im going on a vacation in about 20 days, and i will want to wear a bathing suit so im really going to try not to pick anything this time. thankk you for talking to me
SusanV
May 03, 2010
Hi, this is my first time commenting. I only recently became aware of this site but have been reading as much as possible. I have been picking at my skin for as long as I can remember but a couple of months ago I decided it was time to stop picking/obsessing over it. I'm in my early 30s and my skin is reacting differently to picking with big and long-lasting inflammation that is not going away. And it's quite scary because it used to heal easily so I guess this is my body telling me enough is enough. I have not discussed this issue with many people, only a therapist I had long ago and realized that after a year I don't feel nearly as comfortable talking to my new therapist about it but will in the next session. I'm hoping that signing up for this 40 day challenge will help me with my decision to stop picking while hopefully becoming part of a community where everyone is aspiring to the same goal of self-care instead of self-destruction.
starfish
May 04, 2010
Susan, it is funny you say that, because I am 25 and have noticed the same thing...that my face doesn't heal the way it used to and I scar so much easier too. That is so crazy that people don't know. I do it so often that people know. My friends and family always say "stop picking!" Alllll the time. I know we can do this. In the past I think I just always knew that quitting was temperary. This time, it is for good. This site helps. I never knew other people struggled with this. Every day after work I go to this little 5X mirror and pick at any pore, bumps, and sometimes even freckle that I can fine. It's awful...but those scars may be permanent now. They aren't going away. I used to bleed and scab and all I had to do was pick the scab and it was gone. Now it takes weeks to even scab enough to wear I can just pick it off. I always just pick off the scabs right away and then it scars over. Does anyone else use neosporin? It is a best friend of mine. I will get into a huge picking session, look and feel awful, so i coat my face with vasoline or neosporin. I must admit it helps with scabs...But I know that we all can do it. For me, I know I HAVE to make this the last time. I can't make excuses...I need to come up with something different to do when I get that feeling to pick. I even thought of bubble wrap. Here is another Q...do any of you like to pick at your boyfriends/girlsfriends/friend's skin? I always bag my bf to let me pick at his back. it is sad because he used to have a beautiful back and had no marks on it, but because of me he has scars on his back. He knew about my skin picking and so he would let me pick at him, so that I wouldn't ruin my face. I am so lucky though because he understands what I am going though. His addiction is smoking and he decided to quit with me. We both get urges and it is so hard for both of us. He wants to smoke and I want to pick. If you are living with someone, ask them to help you. he constantly tells me how beautiful my skin looks and I even decided to go to the bathroom with the door open so that he can see if I am picking or not.
SusanV
May 23, 2010
Starfish, thanks for your comment. I've been quite busy with school and only today came back to the site but so far I've kept with the challenge and haven't picked at my skin as I used to. I didn't say much about myself in the previous post but part of my success might have to do with being a yoga and meditation practitioner for about a decade and having been working for a year or so with a fantastic therapist and also being part of a strong spiritual community. Still it hasn't been easy especially the first couple of days when I had some near anxiety/panic attacks which my therapist told me it's a kind of withdrawal symptom and my finally "feeling" my feelings. Also, I have been using lots of tools to stop from picking including a note by where I used to do the picking reading "I WILL DO NO HARM," which I repeat when I wash my face or apply makeup. Also, I read and like www.highonhealth.com and in the beginning would bring my laptop and watch/listen to the videos while washing my face, which helped me lots because I felt vulnerable and didn't trust I could stop from picking. And finally I got a mala which is a sort of Buddhist rosary that I carry with me and use whenever I get anxious and have an urge to pick my skin. It's fantastic and I highly recommended it to keep hands and mind busy.
wildflower
May 04, 2010
if i can do this, so can you !! this day is week 10 for me with 3 minor setbacks. that is, minor. i picked at 2 white heads and a somethingorother in my nose so subtracting 3 days from 70, i have 67 pick free days. all i've done to accomplish this is ... i got serious. i addressed my denial and researched researched researched. i knew i was self harming and that it had to stop once and for all. i decided i was going to treat my skin and my body lovingly. i've written about it in many topics. i eat better, take vitamins and supplements, drink more water, changed my skin care regimen, wore gloves, sat on my hands, did the elastic band on my wrist, but most importantly i got serious about not picking. my skin has healed and although white heads are present, i leave them alone. i touch my skin gently now and scratch itches gently. i've changed my behaviour. i catch myself with urges but rise above them. i am stronger than it now. and i don't think it has anything to do with my age. i believe anyone can do it with the information and resources available now. had these things been available way back when i believe i would have done it much sooner. i don't believe the saying ... old too soon and too late smart. if you're reading this you have wisened up to the fact that self harming is not the way you want to live. so, get serious, make changes, stick to them, count the days, and praise yourself for doing it. don't rely on others. others will let you down. do this for yourself. you deserve to be treated lovingly so start treating yourself lovingly and keep at it, seriously. i believe you can <3 <3 <3
starfish
May 04, 2010
10 weeks? Oh my gosh! Good for you wildflower...I had a white head a couple days ago, but you know what I did? I told my boyfriend to gently get it for me. It worked! He just did it enough to get the white out and then he left it alone and so did I. It didn't bother me because it wasn't white anymore and I didn't feel bad because I didn't touch my face. He is very supportive. I haven't had a painful zit yet though. That is what I am worried about. I am worried for when i get one of those under the skin and it hurts and it swells. It is very rare that I get one like that BUT I do sometimes break out during "that time" of the month. Does anyoone have any advice for that?
wildflower
May 15, 2010
another confession is in order. :( i have had a bump on my jaw right where you feel the muscle flex when you clench your teeth ever since i stopped picking and i'd been waiting and waiting for it to subside and it never did even though many others have come and gone. i had hoped exfoliating with my daily washcloth routine would take care of it but no such luck. slowly it came to a white head but it was very firm and got sore, likely from my exfoliating attempts more than anything. :( i'd tried putting 3% peroxide on it too and it did nothing. using the soreness of it as my excuse, i went at it last night. and for the first time since i quit picking in light of the fact that i did some very minor picking before this, i went at it quite viciously with all the old deluded thoughts involved. i bandaged it up. it never bled, but it wept all night. on my face or not, i'll keep it bandaged up until it heals so it won't scab up with a hard scab which would be too tempting to pick at again. my bandage will be my badge of shame. i do feel good though, that it was the only thing i picked at, considering i have a number of others here and there that also are tempting me, including one on my chin !! i must be strong. i must leave the rest alone and start over at day one although i am still keeping track of my huge change since the original day one. today is day 81 and in that time i have picked (only) 5 targets and i consider that huge compared to how i was before. now i will get back to being serious about this. let's hope i can overcome the temptations that i have yet.
wildflower
May 17, 2010
so soon and yet another ... two actually ... i thought i'd take the bandage off of the one on my jaw to give it some air ... it was sore and my fingers kept finding it ... and then i went at it to relieve the soreness !! ... the things we tell ourselves !! ... i have bandaged it up again and will keep it bandaged for as long as it takes to get it healed over .... and if that wasn't bad enough i justified taking off the bandage of one i've kept covered now for about a week hoping it would go away on its own and since it was still there and i'd picked one thing today i got rid of it ... so this day i picked at two things and will stop with that ... i want to make it to day 100 with NO MORE PICKING ... that goal is 17 days away ... since i started this 40 day challenge 83 days ago i've picked on 5 days so i have 79 days pick free and want to keep it at that by day 100 ... i must be strong ... ever vigilant ... we all must be ... this is such a bad habit ... the sores i have now to heal remind me of that as does having to wear bandages after being free of them for such a nice while .... *sigh* ....
jo7124
May 04, 2010
Well Im on day 6 of my challenge and I have to say Im struggling.Im struggling because I feel so dirty,even though I have skin brushed,gently exfoliated the areas and left them alone.Today I ran my hand along my back,I am covered in rashes,now maybe thats because I played tennis in the heat on Saturday,or maybe its just weahter change full stop, but feeling that ,made me feel my arms and look closely at my face!!!Arrggghhh,I feel like going back to bed and hiding away,Ive got things to do and I will do them but my thoughts are over powered by my skin and what I want to do to it,to make myself feel clean!Its kinda like when your craving a cigarette,then then craving passes ,then comes back!!I also dont want to start over washing because I feel grubby,I know this wont help matters at all!I feel despair because ,although I keep telling myself this will take time and my skin will settle,that picking will just over work the skin and Ill be back in that vicious cirlce again,I just keep thinking my skin will always feel grubby because this is the type of skin I have and thats how I remember starting skin picking years ago.Im going to write down how I feel today and try my hardest not to give into temptation,the 10x mirror I have is going to be put away,I dare not even pluck my eyebrows incase of my eyes focusing in on other matters! Anyway just thought I would write down here how I was doing and you know what its helped,its got me away from the bathroom, its kept my hands busy but most importantly its made me think ,rather than pick! Take care guys!Jo x
wildflower
May 04, 2010
6 days is big !! way to go !! yes, it's a struggle but you're doing great! yes, it helps to hide the mirrors and keep out of the bathroom and/or keep the lights dim there and keep your hands busy and doing anything and everything besides picking. trust that the urges will be strong at times, but they will lessen. you will feel great with healed undamaged skin. you will be proud of yourself. don't forget to reward yourself. you deserve it !!
jo7124
May 05, 2010
Thanks wildflower,I got through the day ok.I do find sometimes when I am sat watching tv or on the computer I am feeling for things,I know I have to break this habit to,I am going to sit on my hands tonight!But as far as damaging my skin,I havent done that and I do feel proud!I also feel very happy to have found this website.Thankyou!
wildflower
May 30, 2010
i am back on day one again having picked some last night. more than i have at one time since i first began the 40 day challenge almost 100 days ago. but i still didn't do toooooooooo bad. i attacked 3 spots. now they're sore. i didn't go at them as aggressively as i could have and used to do. i managed to not go too overboard, though realize going as far as i did was no good. i didn't let my session last any longer than 2 minutes. now i must try to let them settle down and heal up. i know better. i allowed myself to go a bit crazy and that is what it is. craziness. difficult to overcome, for sure, but i know i can do it. if i did it for 48 days before, i can do it again. since i have my body 98 % healed up, i can get this little bit healed up. and i must. i must not allow myself to slip back to a painful existence of sores and bandages. it was so nice not to be sore or need to wear bandages anywhere. it was exhilarating !! i want that back.
jo7124
May 10, 2010
Well today is a new day,Ive had a very bad weekend ,slipped most days,so this is day 1.I have been feeling ill over the weekend ,which has made me harder on myself,as I havent felt or looked my best,its made me feel quite depressed,feeling as though I have failed,I laid awake for hours last night,going over allsorts, of how to overcome this problem,a problem thats been going on for 25 years now.I dont want to give up trying to work this out though and change my habits and thoughts.So here goes day 1!
Phil413
May 14, 2010
I am new to this forum, but very familiar with what everyone is going through. It probably began when I was 10 and now, 18 years later, I'm still at it. I managed to control most of my impulses for a few years after getting married, but after Hurricane Katrina I escalated to picking at my arms. I always feel self-concious about them and know I need to stop while I'm picking them and know the consequences. I would try to do this on my on, but I know it doesn't work and know I need somewhere to talk to others in my shoes. So, here I am. I'm going to take a 40-day challenge along with those of you who have already and will in the future. I know there will be temptations every day, but I hope that at the end of 40 days, I can proudly wear my cute shirts again and not have to cover my face with so much makeup.
mdmadre
May 16, 2010
Hello, I am new to this forum but so so so glad I found this!! I have been picking since I was 15 or 16 and now I am 25:( I have tried a million times to stop and a million ways it feels like. I am going to try this 40 day challenge! Tomorrow will be my day 1 and here is what I am going to do every day along with using this great site to help me quit: 1. do my Qigong 2. read the journal entry I wrote tonight after destroying my face to remind me how important it is to me to really quit for GOOD... because I never want to feel like this again! 3. write about my progress on quitting picking 4. use a timer while in the bathroom ... only allow myself a few minutes to go 5. apply vit E oil to heal my scabs I just created. 6. every time I think about picking try and remember my positive affirmations
sunshineandhail
June 02, 2010
This is my first time on this site, so I guess I should go and introduce myself first, but all I had to do was read the first couple posts and I've decided to try my own forty days. The longest I've gone so far *for sure* was a day, though I may have survived a spring break once. I've been picking for probably about 3 years. I'm afraid to admit it, but it's a combo of stress/boredom. I didn't even know this was a condition until hearing about it in a textbook. My friends all think it's just something gross I do, I don't think they get that this is something mental for me. This is going to be really difficult for me, because finals and such are coming up. I've tried before, but I guess tomorrow is my next Day 1. Edit- Oh, I pick my face/arms/chest/collarbone/back, sometimes legs. My arms are the worst, with face second, then collarbone/back.
wildflower
June 02, 2010
best wishes to you on the challenge. do try to read as many topics as you can here. there's loads of information and links to other sites that can help you with the many aspects of this compulsion. information and understanding it is very important in dealing with this. good luck !! ☺
sunshineandhail
June 02, 2010
Thanks! I crashed/burned today. First day was more like 2 waking hours. Last night I was trying to fall asleep, and I kept making myself not touch my arms or anything. It was so difficult D: Can I ask, if anyone is still on this thread, if anyone here has told any friends/family about this? Good luck to anyone working on their 40 days, and congrats to anyone who's made it more than 2 hours! :D

Start your journey with SkinPick

Take control of your life and find freedom from skin picking through professional therapy and evidence-based behavioral techniques.

Start Now