Post by Abby Normal on Feb 1, 2009 1:48:38 GMT -5
This is something I anticipate fighting for the rest of my life.
I remember the first times I picked my face was around when I was ten, at the dawn of puberty, when the first blackheads and pimples arose from my cheeks and forehead.
Untill maybe on into high-school, I just assumed that the blemishes on my face were bad acne. When I picked, I thought I was doing my acne good, not intensifying it.
I'm 21 now, and I've gone through phases of psychiatric medications for depression, anxiety, and compulsions (skin picking, included.) And I've gone through phases of self-medicating the same problems with heavy drinking and illicit drug use. None of which has helped. I think that for me, the picking is just a symptom of a larger problem - Though I do recognize that for others, they may be perfectly sound minded/bodied people who are held back only by their troubles with picking.
I hope this is helpful, because all that I have read has inspired me. I've become an addict of sites like these, and when I can help it, if I don't get totally trapped in the mirror...
when I start to pick, I run to my computer to read these things and remind myself that I'm not alone.
I've had two major breakthroughs in the recent past that have helped me get the courage to seek help... to find you guys.
The first breakthrough was realizing that when I thought my skin was just bad from acne, I wasn't unaware of my problem, I was in denial of it. Coming to accept full responsibility is important. I'd like you to read on, because that sounded sort of stern. I'll explain to you what I mean by resonsibility in a moment.
The other breakthrough was understanding that though my mind and body is hard to keep in balance, I should never give up. This sort of has to do with responsibility. It's important to understand that though we can take care of ourselves, have a wonderful and supportive social group or family, and be really good at not picking for several days or even weeks, sometimes it happens. We have to let bad moods be bad moods sometimes. We have to deal with the fact that sometimes, we will pick. Wanting to stop for once and for all is ever important. But reaching that goal is a one-day-at-a-time process.
Other advice is...
*Don't get discouraged. Sometimes during the times when I lost myself in the mirror and I sort of came-to, I guess, I realized that I'd just ruined my face and that it may take weeks for just the scabs to heal. So I'd just keep doing it, because It couldn't get any worse than it already was. This has been an important habbit to break - being discouraged.
*Vitamins help your skin. First of all, when you're on a daily multivitamin, I've noticed, there's less to pick at. Second of all, they help your skin to heal healthy and quickly.
*Moisturizer is a plus, too. Though they are sort of expensive, Oil of Olay's moisturizing products have been wonderful. But now I am using a cheaper St. Ives product, And it is working great. I don't recommend relying on these though. There is no fix-all for acne, and a product definitely cannot fix skin-picking. Sometimes it just helps to feel that you are pampering your skin, not hurting it.
This is my first time posting on one of these and I really hope I did a good job. Best of luck.
and I thank you all for inspiring me.
I remember the first times I picked my face was around when I was ten, at the dawn of puberty, when the first blackheads and pimples arose from my cheeks and forehead.
Untill maybe on into high-school, I just assumed that the blemishes on my face were bad acne. When I picked, I thought I was doing my acne good, not intensifying it.
I'm 21 now, and I've gone through phases of psychiatric medications for depression, anxiety, and compulsions (skin picking, included.) And I've gone through phases of self-medicating the same problems with heavy drinking and illicit drug use. None of which has helped. I think that for me, the picking is just a symptom of a larger problem - Though I do recognize that for others, they may be perfectly sound minded/bodied people who are held back only by their troubles with picking.
I hope this is helpful, because all that I have read has inspired me. I've become an addict of sites like these, and when I can help it, if I don't get totally trapped in the mirror...
when I start to pick, I run to my computer to read these things and remind myself that I'm not alone.I've had two major breakthroughs in the recent past that have helped me get the courage to seek help... to find you guys.
The first breakthrough was realizing that when I thought my skin was just bad from acne, I wasn't unaware of my problem, I was in denial of it. Coming to accept full responsibility is important. I'd like you to read on, because that sounded sort of stern. I'll explain to you what I mean by resonsibility in a moment.
The other breakthrough was understanding that though my mind and body is hard to keep in balance, I should never give up. This sort of has to do with responsibility. It's important to understand that though we can take care of ourselves, have a wonderful and supportive social group or family, and be really good at not picking for several days or even weeks, sometimes it happens. We have to let bad moods be bad moods sometimes. We have to deal with the fact that sometimes, we will pick. Wanting to stop for once and for all is ever important. But reaching that goal is a one-day-at-a-time process.
Other advice is...
*Don't get discouraged. Sometimes during the times when I lost myself in the mirror and I sort of came-to, I guess, I realized that I'd just ruined my face and that it may take weeks for just the scabs to heal. So I'd just keep doing it, because It couldn't get any worse than it already was. This has been an important habbit to break - being discouraged.
*Vitamins help your skin. First of all, when you're on a daily multivitamin, I've noticed, there's less to pick at. Second of all, they help your skin to heal healthy and quickly.
*Moisturizer is a plus, too. Though they are sort of expensive, Oil of Olay's moisturizing products have been wonderful. But now I am using a cheaper St. Ives product, And it is working great. I don't recommend relying on these though. There is no fix-all for acne, and a product definitely cannot fix skin-picking. Sometimes it just helps to feel that you are pampering your skin, not hurting it.
This is my first time posting on one of these and I really hope I did a good job. Best of luck.
and I thank you all for inspiring me.