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I need to stop picking. How can I do it?
I started picking first my hands at the age of 6. It was due to nervousness of being around my peers (I was bullied). I'm now about to turn 18 and the picking has progressed to my scalp, arms, legs, face, neck, and back. I don't have the funds to go to therapy so I need self help tips that I can use without my parents becoming aware or my habit. Do you guys have any advice?
Hey, step one is come out to your parents about it. They probably are well aware of the situation and want to help. Even if they don't have the reaction you want or don't understand, enrolling the people close to you is a huge step. It can be your best friend, a teacher, or even these peeps on this site :) if you try to do it alone you'll fail. It's humbling but good to ask for help, because a lot of the things you'll need to do won't make sense to the people in your life unless they're on board (ex: covering mirrors and wearing gloves) and if you're embarrassed just think of how cool you'll look with clear skin even if you do wierd things like that. They are going to accept you no matter what. this was the first thing that helped me a lot. Let us know how it goes!
Piercet430 has given you very good advice here. Support is crucial when trying to overcome this disorder. I recognize there may be feelings of shame, even fear and we certainly do not know what kind of relationship you have with your parents. But as Pearcet430 said support can come from anyone. the important thing is that you are able to talk about your challenges a and struggles you experience in trying to overcome this condition. While you do not have funds for therapy, it is also important that you educate yourself about this condition. At skin pick.com we try our best to provide useful and informative articles about various aspects of picking. Please do browse through the article archives to find articles that might be relevant to you. If there are any specific topic you would like to see covered in future please do reach out to our team via the contact form. Keep us in the loop on how it goes!
In some ways I feel like my picking is along the lines of self harm or self mutilating. I have had therapy for other problems but not picking. I know for myself that when I am at work and it is busy, I don't have the opportunity to pick. I also do lots of self talk and self awareness. I can't ever stop totally though. It is like a lifelong addiction that is as painful as it is pleasurable.