21-Day Challenge

This is great! My goal is to get a hold of this by the time I'm 30! 21 day challenge! Email me please!! :) Thanks all.

DAY 2: My day was just so hectic, there wasn't any time to think or worry about picking. Which is good! I am dead tired, though. I went to the city and did some shopping and was ripped off by Israelis in the mall (I was never good at saying NO... they make it impossible!) Who spends $400 on cosmetics??? I don't know how I did it - maybe I was brain-washed... .................................................................................................................................. Anyway, I felt horrible about my purchases and those guys are smiling all the way to the bank with my money! That was my worst grievance of the day. That and, of course, telling my husband about it... He took it quite well, though. ................................................................................................................................... I heated up `n frozen pizza for dinner and had a glass of wine with my hubby to unwind. And now I'm off to bed. No picking, no worrying about picking... I guess it's a good thing from the challenge's point of view. My hands still want to fidgit around my face, neck and scalp, but there was no picking. I hope I'll have some more substance to talk about on tomorrow's review. How was your second day? Spill the beans! :)

Glad you had a good day 2 Bottervliegie! I didn't pick either so today was a success! I wanted to tonight when I went to wash my face and I had some "shame moments" today where I just felt so bad about the damage I've done, but I didn't pick over it. Im realizing I don't have to pick, no matter what happens. I have to keep telling myself that I will make it through difficult times and be ok without picking. In fact picking always makes things so much worse. Not only is there the physical recovery, there is the mental/emotional side. Im tired of being set back when it comes to that part of my recovery. I've found, too, that I can handle how my face looks better when I don't pick and I generally feel better about myself. No matter what my skin does, even if it doesn't get much better (I have a lot of scarring), I would like to learn to like myself and feel better about myself on a daily basis. The way I see it, the longer I go without picking the more of a chance I have at achieving this. Anyway Im glad I have the forum. I am so grateful for it. The challenge and all of you are what are keeping me going. love you all!

So I made it through the night again! Yay! My fingers were roaming and there were a bunch of times I had to catch myself. I just kept telling myself "if you keep feeling your skin you WILL pick" . Once I start touching my skin its only a matter of time. I know this on a deep level, but the addicted part of me will go into denial and tell me I can and that Im in control. Really I think its because part of me still wants to and will make up any excuse. Anyway its interesting to watch the process. This morning was okay, accept I rubbed off some dead skin after washing off a mask. For me picking is always about timing. I don't think it a coincidence that I did. I had just gotten off the phone with someone that brings up strong feelings in me. They were trying to get me to decide about something(a big life decision) and I have anxiety around it. Whenever an internal battle gets shaken up in me I tend to make it external. I also realized that in order for me to succeed I have to continually set intentions for myself. Like every time I go into the bathroom I have to set the intention that Im not going to get too close to the mirror or pick. Its best if I go on the forum right before and after. It keeps me focused and reminds me that its a big deal every time I pick. So anyway I guess Im starting at day 1 again. Part of me wants to downplay it and claim day 3(bc I didn't pop or go after anything), but I think I need to have higher standards. Its such a slippery slope, the only thing thats gonna work for me is a zero tolerance policy. Dead skin sucks! haha. Anyway this is the first time where it doesn't feel awful to start over. It doesn't feel like failure either(well maybe a little bit), but its good for me to be honest. Im still in it to win it! Im still gonna keep posting and using this site. Im not giving up and Im not gonna wallow in how hard it is because its only gonna take away energy from tackling the problem. Hope you are all doing ok.

I'd like to join the 21 day challenge too. Thanks for starting the group challenge, B---. Group support seems like a great help online. I'll start Day 1 w my post it notes tonight. I'm also looking for a spinner ring to help focus and retrain my hands when feeling anxious and compulsive. Wish me well! Thanks, Igby

Hello B.V. and others, I've been searching for a information about skin picking and finally found this website (I first searched in Dutch). It's 'good' to know there are many others out there who're batteling the same every day. I'm going to join the 21-day challenge, my boyfriend once said he would give me 1000 dollar if I didn't pick my skin for a month, and I lasted only 2 hours.. so 21 days without any picking sounds to good to be true! (Also caught myself picking in my sleep..how am I going to battle that?!) But, I've to trust that I CAN do it, so I'm going to read some more about skinpicking on this forum and I'm starting NOW! (and ending it on Thursday the 14th of October) Ps. The Post-its are a great tip! And I'll try to cut my nails even shorter then they allready are.. Good luck everyone!

go on then im up for this challenge aswell day 1 today. i think i can do this. i will not pick!!!!

Hey guys. Its nice people are starting at different times. That means I'll have people I can start over with. I got rid of dead skin AGAIN today. I knew what I was doing, and knew id have to start again, but I was just too overwhelmed. I had a job interview today and just couldn't bear to do it with stuff hanging off my face. Im desperate for money right now so it felt like a crucial first impression. I know Im making excuses, but its hard to go out into the work world with this issue. Anyway I am willing to try again. Day 1

This is my second day. I had a bit of difficulty while washing my face this morning and exfoliating skin patches, but I'm definitely going to carry on. Since this is OCD, I'm thinking that if I stop myself immediately when the compulsion with my hands unconsciously starts I will still count that day as ON rather than starting over. I also found an inexpensive spinner ring last night at the mall. Everytime I look at it or spin the ring it reminds me that I'm committed to being free of this awful habit! It definitely helps being able to actually communicate with others about it in this online forum. Thanks for reading my comments and best of luck to everyone else who's struggling in this group to join B-- on the 21 day challenge. Igby

Hey guys! Welcome to all the new challengers! I'm so glad that you are all ready to take control of your lives, even though it is extremely hard! I think it's great that everyone start at their own time and continue at your own pace. I'm at DAY 4 now and I have 3 tiny little zits that are like 3 huge cartoons on my face whenever I look in the mirror: "Pick me! Pick me!" Argh! .................................................................................................................................. Well, what would a challenge be if it was easy? Okay, so having those little creatures torturing me makes it really hard and my fingers automatically navigate toward them whenever I'm not physically busy. It will be so easy to just "fix" them, but that would defy the point. Even though they're small, they might still get infected and it will still scab a little, so I AM RESISTING!! .................................................................................................................................. Other than that I am trying to take care of my skin with a non-abbrasive exfoliator and Bio Oil to moisturize and treat scars. No real difference yet, but give it time. I will also dab those three spots with some acne cream and hope they go away on their own ASAP! Okay, so I'm off to bed. Keep posting your progress and please visit my blog to view my progress and post your own (you can post anonymously, no username required). skinpickanon.blogspot.com

I'm 2 days into the challenge! My skin is looking better already =)

I had to start over. Today is day 1 for me :(

Bad skin is just something I've learned to accept. For me its as sure as the sun rise. But what I've recently learned, from accident rather than intent, is that when I simply don't pay attention to it anymore I looks so much better (obviously, I know). A friend of mine once told me "the hardest person to change is yourself." Once you do, the feeling is incredible. Its like the weight of the world (that we call self-consciousness) is suddenly lifted and you're given a second chance at first impressions. You're yourself - the real you inside - the one who wants to shine and not just tell but show the world everything that you are without fear or timidity. This last month for me was one such month. Whether consciously or subconsciously, I simply stopped picking. Whenever I needed to be by the mirror, I refrained from leaning in and "inspecting." My skin didn't become perfect - at least not by my standards - but with the help of a daily exfoliator and night time acne cream (Differin), my skin became much better and every morning felt like just that - a brand new day. So why am I on here? I went to the gym one day, had a great workout, and didn't shower afterwards for another 6 hours. Gross, I know. With pores clogged, I just got frustrated and kind of just "had at it" with my face and his sidekick, the mirror. But after a great month prior, I yearn for the feeling of freedom again. And so begins my 21 day adventure. I'm a "glass is half full" kind of person, so cheers to everyone! And best of luck to all of you.

Hi everyone! This is one of the best and worst journeys I've ever taken. On the one hand, after 7 days of no picking, my skin looks better than ever. Scabs have disappeared by themselves, spots have disappeared by themselves, my skin is softer, almost blemish free. I've learned that the skin is a living thing that gets rid of impurities by itself, without my help. That doesn't stop me from yearning to get my fingers on any spot. I find myself longing for the next 14 days to go away so that I can "clear" my skin again. Why is that? I know better and yet I long to pick? I'm hoping this feeling goes away in the next week so that I don't feel the need to pick anymore. Mind you, I don't want to go on a full-out picking spree - I just want to get rid of the few (very few) tiny spots that are torturing me. But somewhere in my brain I know that I'm better off leaving them to go away by themselves, which they will. I hope that message spreads to the rest of my brain as well, especially the illogical part that's mocking me.