ANOTHER 24 hour no pick pact! Let's try again

[Zoner]

I just wrote this whole freakin long new message and then hit something on my computer and @#%$! it was gone. So I'll make this one short, or try to anyway -
I loved the pact!!! I have to admit that I wasn't 100% pick free, but I did SOOOO GOOD!! I think most everyone else did too. I think the pact has helped to make us more accountable (overit said that and is sooo right), and I felt like I had some place to turn. When I was stressed, I got on the board and remembered that other peoplpe were trying too.
I also felt like I had a challenge for myself. I really wanted to stop and so did other people- so I think I tried harder. It helped to think of it in small increments too (farmgirls idea?). As far as I was concerned, by the time I woke up this morning I had 7 hours over with! I only touched my face once, and that was for a second, but then I totally stopped. I still massaged/searched for things, but was able to catch myself doing that too and stopped. And I also made that a little okay to do, and I think that's important. If I had gotten too frusted with myself, I would have just totally fallen off and gone on another spree. I really focused on not touching my face, and not getting into the "zone" picking other places.
I really loved the mantra someone used today- (sorry I don't remember who said it ) "LET YOURSELF HEAL". So, that's going to be my mantra for Tuesday (THANKS).
Let's all try again! I think most of us were fairly sucessfull- but I don't think any of us was 100% pick free.(If you were, Speak up!!) So what- it was a lot less than we normally do right! Let's try again tomorrow and we can tell ourselve we can pick wednsday right? (or, give yourself 1 minute and get your fix if there's something you just Have to, then stop and start fresh for tuesday)
Who's in Again?? ;D

[tryingtoquit]

Let's go girls! (and guys too)

[overit]

I'm totally in! I'm going for ZT on the face and trying to minimize picking elsewhere but I'm realizing how hard it is to stop this habit/addiction. My hands want to constanly pick at something, whether it's a cuticle or my back or chest or an itch somewhere. Is anyone else itchy
I think also, now that I'm more aware of what's going on, my brain is playing tricks on me. I'm feeling a little more anxious/OCD about it all. It's a process. For now I'll just BREATHE....take a sip of Chamomile tea...and let myself heal from the inside out.

[Snout63]

I'm there! I'm actually getting engaged tomorrow night (it's the two year anniversary for me and my guy and he has the ring all wrapped up a little box). I cannot go to dinner with him with any new things on my face. Luckily for me he's incredibly supportive. I've got him trained to ask me what I'm doing in the bathroom if I'm in there too long with the door closed!
So, let's all give it another try, and not be too hard on ourselves for tiny little things. The most important step, I think, is to catch yourself and stop before the zone comes on.
Good Luck on Tuesday everyone!

[Stef (Incubabe)]

Im in again. As always.

[rabbitmoon]

im in.

[scarreddaisy]

pfff..ill try....dnot thnk ill make it but ok

[Concerned Dad]

I love it. Sounds like you got a good thing going here.

I usually stop by the mirror from time to time, however, it's time to "Get in the Zone". Or out of the Zone. Anyways, one day at a time. I'M IN.

Scarydaisy, you can make it, I know you can. Have confidence in yourself. Like Zoner said, the next day you can pick. I believe in you, now you believe in you.

And thanks, tryingtoquit, not sure how many guys left, but it's nice to see were still thought of around here.

Yes, even Concerned Dad picks from time to time. And when I start, my face looks like a battle field where the ant's won.

Keep it up Zoner, let yourself heal is a good thing.

I'm with ya.

[Zoner]

scarredaisy-
You can do IT!!! I've admitted over and over that I wasn't 100 percent pick free- but I did so much better. I found myself slipping and wanting to pick- but I never let myself get zoned out on it. I scratched at a few things and then stopped. Ended Up a total of popping 3 pimples on my face, but they were spread out throughout the day. I scratched and searched alot though on myself- especially constatntly feeling my back, and even picked at my boyfriend for a minute. he reminded me what i was doing. I tried to scam him and say it only counted for me not picking myself. he didn't fall for it! So I stopped. sometimes I can pick at him for quite a while too!
I think though that you can't come into the challenge thinking you can't do it. Tell yourself you can- for just 24 hours. Tell yourself you'll pick tomorrow! Just use the board to post whenver you get the urge! and If you do slip up- stop yourself- but know that it's okay. If you've got one you just have to go at-get that one, and only one, and walk away.

[Zoner]

I crashed and burned.....
I guess I've been running off of adrenaline for the past two days. I think it was the excitement of finding this group, the anxiety of trying not to pick and then trying to replace it with other things. I felt really good though, and positive- although I wasn't being perfect I was doing very good. But then I just got all bummed- I don't know why. I noticed that I was getting pretty obsessive about this board- constantly checking it throughout the day at work. maybe that was a replacement for the picking, I don't know. But I was like- wow- relax!
anyway- I just got down later in the day. Lost my positive feelings about it all... and then I just picked away at my face-got into my little zone .
I was proud and thought it was getting better and now I just messed it all up again.
How Ironic when I look at my last post for this thread. Wow- I was hopped up on adrenaline.....
I'll try again another day. But for now I need to just relax.

[Snout63]

Oh! I am so sorry to hear this, but tomorrow is another day to get it right....

[FarmGirl]

Aw Zoner...I'm sorry to hear you got so bummed out.

Want to talk about it? Whatever it was that got you down, that's your trigger.

I think it's totally okay to check this board ALL the time--I do! I've been a member of another board for YEARS and I check it several times a day and usually have my morning cup of coffee while reading it. It's my morning paper so to speak!

I would rather replace my picking habit with a computer habit! Talk about socially acceptable--EVERYONE is on-line now a days! Usually surfing porn but nonetheless

Someone mentioned AA in another thread, which I would have responded too, except I know nothing about AA. But I do think that members have people called "sponsors" --someone (I think a fellow recovering alcoholic) they can call at any hour to talk about whatever is troubling them. Maybe we can do that somehow here? I dunno. I mean, we all understand each other's problem because we're going thru it together, right?

[Zoner]

Thanks so much farmgirl!
I don't know exactly what got me so down. I think it was a that time of the month hormonal surge initially. Addmittedly, I was pretty anxious throughout the day. So later in the evening I focused on just trying to relax. I was just sitting down watching tv- I don't even remember the show- anyway- it made me cry. I went in to lay down with my fiance and then started picking at him. He told me to stop and I didn't- so he sort of yelled at me. That got me mad and sad at the same time- because we had agreed that he would calmly address my picking and remind me that I really wanted to stop. I snapped and just lost it. And instead of feeling comforted by him, wich is what I went in there for, I guess I just got even more bummed and then picked away.
Wow- so I guess my picking really, really is a way I relax myself. It's comfort. It's all about me at that moment.

I never really thought of it in terms of triggers, because now it has become a fairly constant throughout the day thing for me- in some form or another. And I've really only thought of it in terms of the picking, not what it does for me. But It has to do something, or it wouldn't be so hard to stop.
I guess I can't avoid the triggers- so I need to find another way to replace my reaction to them. Any suggestions?

Thanks so much- because I wouldn't have thought this all through like that! And I love the sponsor Idea- all it takes is an ear to listen (or in this case eyes to read...) How can we set something like that up through the board?

[FarmGirl]

Hi Zoner and everyone else!

Well, I just hooked myself up with that Yahoo Instant Messenger thingy. I'll leave that on for as long as my computer is on--which is normally all day. That way, at least I can make myself available for private chats. It's the best idea I can come up with right now for becoming a "sponsor".

I FINALLY saw "Finding Nemo" last night and laughed my ass off when the sharks grabbed the other shark and yelled, "INTERVENTION!!" right before he was about to eat the fish that he had just taken an oath swearing, "Fish are friends, not food."

Killer movie! Highly recommend it. Reminded me so much of us