My experiences, I am a healing skin picker of over 10 years

Hi Everyone, Over the last year and a half I have spent a lot of time on this site which has been incredibly helpful for me. I have been a skin picker for well over a decade and I honestly had never really understood how I was ruining my skin and approaching anxiety in a very unhealthy way. I have spent hours and hours in front of the mirror, washed my face numerous times per day, cried in my bathroom after looking at the damage I had done, hated my skin, among all of the other things acne and perceived acne did to my mind. The last year I have spent more of my time focusing on how to heal and what would get me to healthy skin and even more important; a healthy mind. This month marks over a month of the most minimal picking I have ever accomplished in my entire life since I have been a picker. Yes, there are bad days still, but I hardly pick anymore and I absolutely do not pick like I used to. I do not pick myself until I bleed anymore, I don't dig into spots that I think may have something in them, I actually leave spots ALONE and allow my skin to heal itself as it is supposed to, I only wash my face twice a day, I don't spend time looking in the mirror while being an inch away just staring and focusing, and most of all I don't feel that same anxiety and "need" to pick anymore. I still do get small little painful spots that I will pop and leave alone, or when I get little spots on my cheeks- those are my weakness, but I am still improving and getting better and better. I have used numerous tools to achieve this but as I am reading peoples stories and sadness I just wanted to share a blog post I have written and I plan to keep writing in hopes that I can also help anyone else out there that feels a sense of no control. You can go to the link below and just see how I started to get into this. Please please please send me a message on there, or comment, or say ANYTHING you want. I know how hopeless I have felt and I finally feel like I have an amazing amount of tools that I can share with people who are in the depths of this awful compulsion. http://rawpeach.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/obsessive-compulsive-behaviours-take-action-create-a-directed-mind/ Please know how powerful your mind is and this will be the biggest obstacle. However you CAN and WILL heal yourself and get passed these hard times in your life. In the meantime a few tips- if you are using a harsh face wash or anything that is not natural please stop using it! Drying out your face is not the answer! If you are able to find a RAW honey at your local health food store get a little jar and try using this as your cleanser. You can use this as a mask as well. Yes, it is sticky and may seem weird, but it works! It is naturally anti-bacterial, will exfoliate, purify, heal and help moisturize. Make sure it is raw or else the honey may not be very beneficial. Have sticky notes? Write down some affirmations! The one I use that I have in my bathroom at home and at my office is "I forgive my skin for not being perfect in an otherwise imperfect world." I say it over and over again. It may seem silly, but trust yourself to believe it and in time you will find a mental shift. Look at your diet: if you do not consume a good amount of fresh foods- try integrating some fresh fruit, vegetables, fresh juices, sprouted nuts, etc. Dairy products can also lead to some breaking out. Try loving your skin instead of being in a battle rink with it. It does know how to take care of itself and trust me, the less you pick, your skin WILL heal. You just have to trust yourself and your skin. I really hope this will help some of you. I am still currently getting myself 100% to a confident level of not picking ever, but I know it can be done. Feel free to respond on my blog if you wish. Have a great rest of your week everyone. Many, many blessings to you all, V