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seerelated , 20 Feb 2008

Annoyed when someone stops you from picking?

Does anyone else get an extremely frustrated feeling when someone grabs your hand away when you're picking? My sister always slaps my hand away or yells at me when I start to pick, and I get so annoyed because if the entire scab isn't gone, I'll go insane. And I can't keep picking right in front of her because she will just stop me again so I either have to secretly do it or leave the room and finish there. Does anyone else do this?
28 Answers
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Victoriassecret
June 30, 2011
The most frustrating thing I do, other than destroying my own face (obviously), is that I find myself constantly wanting to pick OTHER people's skin. If I see and scab or a blemish on someone else (my boyfrend's blackheads are the worst for me) I just obsess over it until I can get my hands on them. I can't even look my boyfriend in the face without analyzing his every bump and blemish and I hate it because I think he's so perfect and handsome I can't stand that the litltle things jump off his face at me and scream to be squeezed out. He'll eventually give in most of the time and let me get them but I can't stop at just one. I end up making his face all red and bumpy because of MY issue. Ugh I hate this. He really encourages me to stop but he doesn't understand how hard it is...
violentmonkey
August 26, 2008
I used to. I had a coworker up until a weekend ago, who would slap my arm when she'd see me picking. Which I know is out of caring.
anxiousallie
August 28, 2008
God yes! I always tell people when I am not picking to make me stop and when they do I either smile or get more frustrated and pick more.Just like any compulsion it is so very frustrating to explain. Unless you have "picked" there is no way to empathize and truly grasp the control. Too bad the ssri i take everyday doesnt help.... I need to paint a cognitive wheel on my ceiling or something. lol
jenny07
October 11, 2010
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bottervliegie
October 14, 2010
When I was at home my sisters and my mother would scold me for picking and also slap my hand away. I HATED that! But now I've asked my husband to help me when I'm picking unconciously. I specifically asked him to do it gently and not say something like "no" or "stop", because that makes me feel like a naughty child caught with my hand in the cookie jar! The way he does it doesn't make me angry, it's more like waking up from a dream and realising what I'm doing.
Victoriassecret
June 30, 2011
Botter, your comment about how your scab picking was subconscious a lot of the time really hit home. Acne and mosquito bites are my enemy. I'll scratch in my sleep and then I'll wake up with scabs. Then those scabs will be there for months because I'll pick and pick and pick, then when the scab is gone ill dig and dig and dig. Even when there's nothing left I'm either convinced there's STILL something left to get out and I'll attack the area, or I'll reach down and pick without even knowing I'm doing it. The only way I ever even realize I'm doing it is either when I get reprimanded by my boyfriend or if I feel my fingers have gotten wet from the blood running down my skin. :/ gr. Have you found any methods that help with the subconscious picking? Because it's one thing when I pick my acne knowingly and on purpose, but I can't even START thinking of how I can tackle the subconscious picking of my scabs because once I've started I CAN'T just leave half a scab. I have to get it all. Then I'm screwed because once I start, I'll dig at any raised tiny bump on the whole arm/leg :( Any advice would help. Thanks! Victoria
purplefrog11
July 06, 2011
I can relate to this 100%. In fact, it just happened to me the other day. My boyfriend, who is very sympathetic and just wants to help, sometimes tries to gently stop me when he sees me picking. When he does this, I suddenly get extremely irritable. Before I know it, I'm having a full-on anxiety attack. When this happens, I don't want to be touched or looked at, because I'm so ashamed of myself and I feel out of control. It made me realize just how much picking is an anxiety-related issue. Picking is my way of releasing anxiety, and when someone takes it away from me, I freak out and have to express it another way--an anxiety attack. Doing other things with my hands helps a little, but there is nothing as satisfying for us pickers than the feeling we get from picking. It's so awful. I feel so trapped....

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