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donewithit , 04 Apr 2011

30 day challenge

Hi everybody. This forum is a revelation to me. I have been picking my skin for 15 years, I'm 28 now and I've had enough. I recently went sailing on a boat with no mirrors for three weeks. Only picked my skin a couple of times, since I didn't have anything but a small compact mirror and there was no privacy on deck and no light under deck. And I felt ridiculous the few times I sat with that tiny mirror trying to find anything in the sparse light from the window. Ridiculous, I tell you! So... now I KNOW I can do without it. It's just my brain playing foolish little games. I don't feel better all together afterwards, would be much happier with cleaner skin and more time. I mean, seriously, I have spent numerous hours picking my face. Imagine what I could have accomplished if I hadn't been staring at my face in the mirror. So now, I'll promise myself and everybody not to pick my skin for a whole month. I don't think I have gone one day at home without picking, but it stops today. NO PICKING. If I want any serious imperfections taken care of, I will have to ask my bf to do it, giving me no chance to get into that picking-trance in front of the mirror. I have taken a picture today. If I feel brave, I'll let you see before/after pics. This is April 4th. Day one. Wish me luck!
10 Answers
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caretta
April 04, 2011
You can do it!!!!! I posted a link to a photo in my thread (wedding one).... I am feeling strong and in control, fight the urge!
donewithit
April 04, 2011
Thanks! I too am feeling in control and strong. But I pick my face, so I'm still not feeling brave enough to put my picture up... But I will do an update every day to track my progress. I get really bad at skinpicking around my period, and always excuse it with hormones, which may in fact be true, but only because I get moody and not because hormones make me break out. Maybe a combination... I have taken down the mirror in the bathroom and the mirror in our hallway is too poorly lit to use for picking. Only suitable mirror left is a small one by the kitchen sink on which I have put a scary post-it saying NO PICKING FOR 30 DAYS. I really want to stop forever, but I'm thinking I may trick my mind into coping by saying it's only 30 days. Whoa, now I feel crazy :-P Your nails look beautiful! I wish I could wear nails like that, but I do garden work a lot, and Im not so sure acrylic nails and gardening are a good combo.
htmk
April 06, 2011
Good luck! I'm on day 10 of my 30 day challenge so I know exactly what you are going through (i'm not sure if picking withdrawal is a real thing but if it is that's what the first few days are like). I take pictures of my face everyday and that has really helped motivate me because I can see the huge amount of improvement to my skin everyday that I don't pick it and I can see pimples come and go and heal on their own naturally which I don't think I've ever let them do before
donewithit
April 06, 2011
Thanks for the tip! I did take a picture again today. Day 3 with NO picking, yay! I think I may be one of those people who 'just' pick out of habit and perhaps boredom, because it's really not that hard for me not to do it (yet at least). Now that I'm conscious of how bad it makes my skin look, it's much easier to argument with my silly brain that NO, it would not be neccesary to go and take a look at that bump I can feel. So, still going stron here.
pick2mysoul
August 31, 2011
I know that it has been awhile since you last posted, but I am new to this forum and I like your idea. I hope that you were successful with your goal and I actually hope that you are no longer on this forum (because that means you were successful and no longer need this forum) Sooooo starting today, right this moment, I will try.....no, I mean I WILL stop picking! Thank you for posting!
40daysfromnow
September 02, 2011
Ok guys and gals, I'm done! Finito. I'm not making my skin red at all. I'm done. I need your support. I'm so upset.
sodonewithpicking
October 06, 2011
Uhh I am 18 and I just can't seem to stop picking my acne on my face. I literally do it all day and at least spend one to two hours in front of the mirror. I know, such a waste of time. But seriously, I want to do the thrity day challenge. Does anyone have any good tips??? Its time to stop picking!
Independence38
January 01, 2013
Skin picking is called dermatillomania. Pulling one's hair out is in a similar category--they are both symptoms of OCD--but is called trichotillomania. I started with the skin picking 2-3 years ago in graduate school, but I realize I've done similar things since I was a teen. For many years, to start, I was always picking at my scalp; the more you do it, the more scabs show up to pick at. It got so bad that my natural position on the sofa was with one hand in my hair. I stopped for a while then, when I got into my first adult domestic violence situation (there was DV in my house since I was a little girl), I started cutting: a little at my arms but mostly on parts of my body that couldn't be seen. I thought I had dermotillomania beat, but I find I still do it when (a) I take a tablet or two too many of my pain meds (b) I don't sleep for more than 24 hours...I'm on over 48 right now and my face is a burning red stop sign, or (c) I am stressed or in an MDD cycle (I have regular depression almost constantly, along with anxiety disorder, PTSD, agorophobia, and social anxiety disorder, but MDD stands for major depressive disorder, which you can have all the type or you can vacillate between regular and major depression, which I do. I threw away all my razor blades, needles, and other improvised skin-picking tools, but I still have my tweezers and my blackhead extractor. The latter can do a lot of damage, and I can spend all day searching for the teeniest, tiniest blackheads or going over the same cyst over and over again. But if I throw the tool out, I am compelled to buy a new one, and they are about $15, so I've given up on that cycle for now. At least it does less damage than some of those other tools (razor blades can cause major injuries that take weeks to heal, and I even have some bad scar tissue in my "third eye" area...thank God for bangs.) The medications don't help me, or don't seem to help, but then again I've been on antidepressants, sleep aids, and anti-anxiety medication, not to mention pain medication for chronic myofacial pain syndrome since I was a young adult, starting with the antidepressants. I don't even know what my baseline is, and I haven't for at least 15 years, but I am very suicidal, and my family worries about me trying to go off them to see how I feel without them. Anyway, I say these things because everyone else seems like it is such an easy thing to stop this habit. I think it is even a survival mechanism for some of the very traumatized among us, like thumb-sucking or something, or maybe a way to release pain numbing endorphins. Sure, many will say just go exercise, but once you are agoraphobic it is literally impossible to leave your home on your own. Anyone that argues with the severity I am describing, and has no other replacement habits or mindsets, is not very seriously damaged and probably can just stop. For you all, I recommend putting on makeup first thing in the morning, fix your hair, and make plans to go out or at least a bit, even for just a walk or a coffee. Then you'll feel better and you'll be less likely to want to mess up your lovely looks.
makaylaanicole
January 02, 2013
I'm 15 and have been picking for only about a year now. but I've already ruined my arms completely. but today is January 1st, and I have a cheer banquet in march where I plan to wear a tank top red dress to my banquet, where I don't want to wear a cardigan. I will show my arms. and I will be done picking by then! I need to stop NOW.

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