Day Two Update, Currently On Day 3! :o)

For those who haven't yet read any of my posts, I pick my face and arms - really, really, REALLY bad - and have had the habit for 11 years or so. Last Thursday and Friday I picked so badly that my face and arms were swollen, red, and bloody. Plus, I had to go into the office on Friday and was completely embarrassed by the amount of people staring at me (but, I would probably have stared at someone who looked like they had developed an overnight case of the measles too). So, I decided to try my absolute best not to pick anymore. I've already posted an update on day 1 (Saturday, 6/5). This is how my day 2 began. I woke up in the morning, went to the bathroom, threw on some old clothes, and headed downstairs to make some breakfast. While I was cooking, I realized that I actually hadn't looked in the mirror that morning - a very, very good thing if you're attempting to keep your hands away from your face! However, the longer I thought about it, the more I felt the need to look. After about an hour, I gave in. I went into the bathroom, bent over the sink, and stared at my face. Some of the spots that I had badly picked the Thursday/Friday before were starting to slowly clear up! Any normal person would've just been glad and gotten back to their day - but not me. I kept looking, and looking - and came across this spot beside my nose. That particular place had started as a tiny blackhead, and I had picked and picked and picked it (the Thursday/Friday before) until it was very sore and the size of a nickel. It was starting to look a little better and the skin on top looked a little dry. So, I climbed up on the sink and sat in front of the mirror. I took my tweezers out and started messing with it. I picked at the dry skin on top, and pulled it off - and it felt really good. Because I was sitting so closely to the mirror, I noticed a few bumps and pores that I hadn't seen before. I reminded myself that this is how it always starts - one or two little things that lead to two hours of picking and a completely ravaged face. I literally had to force myself away from the mirror. I started feeling very guilty about pulling off the dead skin, and had to do my best to ignore those feelings. As soon as I get depressed about something, I immediately feel the urge to pick. So, I got up and started cleaning my house. I didn't look in the mirror again until last night when I shaved, but I kept my distance from it. Overall, I considered day 2 a success. Even though I picked at some dead skin with my tweezers, I had managed not to squeeze anything! Moving on to this morning - day 3 - I got up and was getting ready for work. I glanced in the mirror and took note of a whitehead on the end of my nose. I stopped for a minute - reciting in my head that I should leave it alone - and went ahead and got in the shower. I actually left it alone - but let me say that it has driven me nuts all day! Anyway, after I got out of the shower and put my contacts in, I noticed that my face is looking alot better. Most of the spots that I had picked are clearing up! My complexion on both my arms and face is evening back out (not so red and splotchy), and after only 3 days I can see a noticeable improvement. Maybe it's worth not picking that little whitehead on my nose! I'm doing my best to go from being obsessed with picking the crap out of my face to being obsessed with having clear, healthy skin. The past 3 days have gone decently well for me (at least to this point), but I always start out strong and at some point start to give back into the same destructive habits. I have found that putting my story out there (updating these forum posts every couple days) has helped me to stay committed. Thanks for reading! :o)