Entry #5 Skin Picking Disorder

Hi! You are not alone, friend. I used to struggle with skin picking so badly until I realized that one of the biggest things prompting me to keep picking was the control it made me feel like I had over my appearance. Even if it was harming me, it felt like somehow the way I interacted with myself would change the way I looked and that felt good. Only, it is only after I stripped this power from it that I stopped. Now, when I’m feeling the urge to skin pick, I tell myself “this will make you no uglier or prettier. This will make you no better or worse.” Once you take away the power it has to make you feel guilt, shame, or even satisfaction I promise it will seem like so much less of an issue and happen less. If that sounds hard to do, start small. Next time you feel the urge to pick at your skin, fixate on one feature of your body that you find attractive. Find something to do with your hands, even if that is just squeezing them together, and breathe in and out while you look at this feature. Say to yourself “I don’t need to hurt myself to be strong enough to endure these feelings,” even if that means enduring the discomfort of looking at an unpopped pimple. You’ve got this, and it’s okay if it takes time and it you make mistakes. You are no less beautiful for this and the strength you have for withstanding it already speaks to how strong you are.

I understand. I have picked at my lips since I was a child, it was to do with anxiety not ocd at that point but it’s become a habbit that I’ve always done when I feel nervous/anxious, and not liking the feeling of having any scabs on my lips so I always felt a satisfaction of doing it even though it’s a gross habbit. I pick at my face too, I’ve had these scabs on my face for months and I literally can’t stop picking at them… I’ve been told I look like I have herpes multiple times before, which makes me feel even more anxious and causes me to pick more…

Thank you so much for your encouragement. It truly means so much more than I can say. ❤️ I will definitely try out what you have recommended.