My story, and one tip that helped me.

OKAY! Wow how amazing that this site exists, right?! Okay so I have been a zit/scalp picker since about 6th grade. And yes, I eat everything I pick....(NEVER thought that I would have ever admitted that!!) I actually was a hair puller as well, but I somehow managed to get beyond that within a couple of years. Since graduating high school and throughout college, I have learned some things: 1. This is WEIRD and I shouldn't let people see me do this. 2. It happens most when when I am really stressed or its been just a little too long between showers... 3. It is not enough to simply "pick". It must be grinded between my front teeth (this brings a sense of satisfaction- now that impurity is really gone, or I really like how it feels between my teeth- It is a texture thing, not a taste thing.) Well throughout this time I was a very social creature and well-liked among my peers, despite my dirty little secrets and my obvious ADHD (and unknown by me Anxiety Disorder). It was extremely embarrassing when I would go to get my hair highlighted and I had multiple open wounds on my head (wow, did that sting too!). By that time, my acne had been limited to the occasional breakout, thanks to amazing birth control pills! And I found that if my skin is clear, I am much less likely to pick (although I do remember staring into the mirror and wishing that there was something for me to pick...UGH). Okay, so here is something that I did that unintentionally reduced my picking... and it actually works!! Get acrylic nails. DO IT. They make your nails much more thick, and (at least for scalp picking) it makes it MUCH harder to really get the scabs because your nail isn't as sharp as it was...(think of trying to pick up a coin from the floor with nails on... it's just hard.) So I am sitting here writing this with NO SCABS on my scalp!! Not to say I haven't been trying... but it is just not working. Lately I have been trying less, because it really stresses me out knowing that there is a scab on my head, and I cannot fix it. On my face, thats a different story. Three small scabs close my hairline, so they are more easily covered up. I just thought that this tip might help somebody else. I was so thankful when I found this site. I thought I would take this secret with me to the grave. It is so nice to see that I'm not alone out here. If you have ever come across anything that worked to help decrease your compulsions, please share them here! Thanks so much for listening!!