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Immediate recovery tips: mental and physical
I have been realizing more and more that I am on a trajectory heading up and consistently further away from my worse picking days. I wanted to jot down some tips that I notice I am doing I’m contrast to how things used to play out when I do have a slip up! I think they may be helpful to others.
Recently I had my skin almost back at square one. It was refreshing to see that I haven’t done noticeable permanent damage.
I did pick a few spots last night and this morning. Which is unfortunate. But I didn not panic. I used to panic and that is when the spiral began. I would throw at my skin every healing product and then remove impulsively picking more and then trying something else. I was in a craze to actively heal my skin and my body wasn’t being allowed the space to do what it knew how to already. I would often (if able to) chase whatever sun I could find trying to tan off the damage somehow. Living where I do fortunately that wasn’t often an option but still...
So in the end I was damaging my skin further and further while wasting money and time on products only to slow the process in reality while tricking myself that I was helping.
Today I: came home from my first half of my work day and washed my face with my gentle wash I have been using for a long time.
I bandaged the worse spots and went to rest, listening to my body say it was tired, and also getting away from the mirror.
After hours away from the mirror I mixed up a tried and true healing Aztec clay mask with acv and cleaned the house. I knew this would also help decrease my anxiety especially at night when I come home. This mask is amazing and simple ingredients make a huge difference in redness and swelling as well as drawing any infection out and speeding healing. It doesn’t hurt that when you apply to your whole face you are preventing breakouts which is the last thing you need when you are trying not to pick more!!
Next, I did my nails because sometimes focusing on something else helps boost your mood.
I chugged a bottle of water.
I got a shower and GENTLY removed the mask and washed my face GENTLY and dried it...GENTLY when I got out of the shower.
I applied my tired and true moisturizer with drops of tea tree and spot treated a few spots with hydrocortisone cream to further reduce redness. Then I while I let all that sink in I made myself eat healthy lunch because I know that if I didn’t I ran the risk of being starving later and grabbing something unhealthy or being more anxious and tired later because I didn’t fuel my body. These things sound silly but they are important to your overall health and healing and decreasing anxiety. And when you are anxious ans in a bad picking spell it’s easy to forget the basics.
After all this it was really easy to cover the spots with minimal concealer and no foundation. I played up my eyes and did my hair to focus on other things.
I even laid out everything I would need for my nighttime routine and turned on the nightlight in the bathroom for an easy transition when I get home. I feel calm and under control and so much better than if I had been in a tizzy all day “healing” things. :/
So the day went great! I honestly forgot about my picking and moved forward with my day confidently. I managed to do pretty well tonight. In this stage I struggle a bit with the “no touching at all” concept because at times the spots I picked are ready to get more deeper stuff out and I feel like it does help to finish what I started. I have 4 bandaids on the worse spots. Hoping for the best and not picking tonight so it can only get better from here!! The most noticable thing I see in my recovery is this ability to move forward and be postitve and let things go and not do, do, do just let my face be!
Let-it-be,
I am curious--have you ever considered taking down your mirror? I noticed you said mirror up above, it sounds like the grand and all powerful tool you use to pick.
How would a woman put on her makeup without a useful mirror? Or how would a woman be able to blow dry and style her hair without a mirror? It seems unrealistic.
Good questions. Well, I say getting rid of the mirror is about making a sacrifice, but hopefully for the greater good. Does a person really need a mirror to blow dry their hair? Maybe. Does a person need a mirror to apply makeup? Probably... What about downgrading your mirror to be very small, and put a dresser in front of it, this can limiting how close you can get to it to pick you skin. A dim light overhead will also limit your viability, but give you just enough if you can't take down the mirror and go all the way. Alternatively, take down all your mirrors, and only use your car's mirror when about to go into public... Do these ideas sit with you a little better?
To the point of the mirror...I see how that would be very helpful but my husband needs the one in our bathroom for shaving etc and that’s the only one we really have that I use. I have mirrors in my car and at work as well so for me it probably isn’t reasonable because there are too many mirrors I can’t take down or cover that I deal with daily. To Serene’s point...doing your hair and using makeup are important steps for some with putting focus on something other than skin and feeling confident. In my case timers ans nighhtlights are better tools because I have to use the mirror only for a certain time for what I need then timer goes off and reminds me not to get distracted. Then I can turn off lights and use nightlight when I am done with mirror for hair or makeup etc. In regards to what I was suggesting in this post, it worked well! I had a great weekend with very clear skin. My skin seems to be healing faster and faster and I credit it to a growing strength in letting it heal if I do mess up as well as shifting focus in my life overall from skin to everything else. It’s like a weight is lifting and a fog is clearing that I have been in for years. Something in my mind is truly letting go of the obsession. And I’m not just referring to the obsession with picking things but with my skin and facial apparence overall. It was a package deal...like I had to let go of the whole focus not just the picking. Still a work in progress but as I have mentioned before, there are notable changes in my life to do with less focus on skin and buying skincare and healing and tanning and fixing and makeup etc etc etc etc
Sounds good, Let-it-be! Very good to hear you're starting to beat this thing! Personally, I don't pick in the mirrors at work or in semi-private places like the car--it's just not comfortable enough for the dark side of this addiction to settle in and to lose myself in the moment. Still, you're husband should understand your problem, it's serious enough, so I still encourage to take down the mirror. I imagine it like a pack of cigarettes sitting in the room next door for someone trying to quite. Maybe he can pull out a stand mirror out when he shaves that he hides somewhere nearby. I also encourage making sure you can't get too close to the mirror if you decide to keep one to boost you feeling confident; a radius of a few feet should do! Keep at it!
Be well, Sam.
Thank you Sam! Yes being aware of how close you lean...and for me when I am absent mindedly searching for something to pick standing there...helps. I tend to create my own imperfections probably like most of us here. Things you can only see zooooomed way into the mirror haha. Don’t get me wrong I actually don’t pick in public places either but in my job I am often alone around mirrors in scenarios where I know I would be able to not only pick but also have time to recover with makeup without being noticed. The biggest battle is in my mind over whether or not to give these concerns to scan and “fix” the time of day! Like I said...I am learning it is possible for me and hopefully others to retrain my brain! I don’t think we are doomed to this cycle! Take care!
:) Yes! Very uplifting! We are certainty not doomed to this cycle! It can be broken!
Let it be. In order to reduce picking Did you do the online program on this website?
Hi Lisalistens, no I have not tired this sites online program