A Daily Blog For Healing (30 day challenge)

I have been picking at my face since I was 13 years old and first started getting acne. I am now 23 and skin picking is destroying my life. My self confidence, stress management, and social anxiety are at an all time low. I want to start the 30 day challenge to stop my skin picking! I am going to document my urges, tendencies I notice, and methods that I am using, to try to accomplish this goal, each day. I know this challenge isn't going to be easy, but I hope that the support and encouragement here will help me to stop my skin picking (and may help someone else too!) The rules of the 30 day challenge: 1) The 30 day challenge doesn't end if I relapse. So, if I do end up picking the challenge doesn't stop. I have to document my picking and keep working towards my goal, being especially aware of what caused the relapse. 2) The goal is to not pick all together. This means that even picking one spot would be considered as a picking session. 3) Daily documentation of urges, thought patterns, techniques, and possible relapses is mandatory to complete the challenge successfully! Alright, so now I am going to post what I have been doing so far to help stop my skin picking: 1) All mirrors are covered up in my home with a beautiful lace fabric lol! 2) Daily affirmations. 3) A rubber band for my wrist to snap when I start skin picking or thinking about picking! 4) A support system (people I can text/call when I have an urge to pick: my mom and boyfriend). 5) Alternatives to picking: weed in my garden, do ten jumping jacks, drink water/eat something healthy, sing a ridiculous tune like little bunny foo foo (mainly because it says picking in it lol), or write about it! Now I am going to detail my format for my daily posts. This entire challenge is customized to fit my needs and is just an idea of how to go about it. You can use the guidelines I've set up, or make your own! Day One - August 31, 2014 Last time picked: last night/this morning at 12:30 AM (1 hour session) Spots picked: around my temples, chin, forehead, nose, and right cheek. Thoughts while picking: "I am a terrible person." "Stop, stop, stop." "Just one more and then you'll stop." "1, 2, 3 stop!" "Your face is going to look horrible tomorrow." Thoughts after picking: "I hate myself." "I'm going to wake up in the morning to a mutilated face." "My is ruined, before it's even started." Warning signs: I was driving home in my car and had an urge to pick. I told myself that I was at risk for picking when I got home and needed to be careful. I started touching some spots on my face while driving. I went home and sat down right in front of my mirror and began picking. Aversion plan for next time: If I am driving and have thoughts of picking, I will not go straight upstairs to my bedroom. I will make sure to sit on the couch and wind down before going upstairs. Types of pimples: blackheads, whiteheads, cystic acne. Things I worry about: scars not healing/fading (I always end up picking before my face heals. I feel like I'm scared to see how much damage over actually caused). Products I used: Aveda Gentile Foaming Cleanser, Calamine Lotion, Witch Hazel, and Aveda Tourmaline Moisturizer. Current stressors: work, school, relationship, the future, fear of failure. Things I am proud of: starting this challenge. Until tomorrow then! Good luck everyone!