How to Stop Obsessive Skin & Blemish Picking
Obsessive skin and blemish picking may seem to be simply a superficial habit, but it's usually a reaction to anxiety and tension. People say that picking at their skin either calms or distracts them from the source of their worry. It can also develop from understimulation or from a single trauma buried in the past. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Write down in your journal the last 10 times you picked at your skin. Record the duration of the picking, how it felt and, most important, what you were doing beforehand. Put on your detective fedora: What is the trigger that makes you want to pick? Is there a certain time of day that spurs you on? Once you find the trigger for your behavior, you can begin to control your response to the trigger.
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Wear gloves. It may sound like an oversimplified solution, but you must take the power and capability out of your hands when the urge to pick is uncontrollable. Put on gloves and do something away from mirrors that keeps your hands busy: go for a walk, go shopping, bake a cake, drive a car, start gardening or clean the kitchen. Trust that the urge to pick will go away. It will.
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Get a cat or dog. If your lifestyle does not allow for a full-time pet, borrow one from a friend or neighbor. Part of picking your skin is having an unhealthy, microscopic focus on yourself. Instead, transfer that focus onto something else. Take your pet for walks, and fastidiously brush the animal's fur and trim his nails. Care for and love your pet, making sure he is happy and healthy.
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Paint your feelings. When the desire to pick your skin swells, wrap your hand around a paintbrush and express your feelings on canvas or art paper. The goal is to express whatever is in your head that makes you want to pick your skin. Give yourself complete freedom to paint whatever you like with whatever colors you like. The painting is for your eyes only.
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Tips & Warnings
Obsessive skin picking is often well-treated by a health care professional. If the above methods do not help alleviate the problem, call your doctor immediately.
