Just found this subreddit, so glad to know I’m not alone! As a thank you for having me, here is a tip I learned about reallocating the compulsive behaviour I experience.

I pick at my face, chest, back, anything within reach really. I mainly do it when I’m bored or seeking stimulation- or when I’m overwhelmed, nervous and overstimulated. Thanks to ADHD there is almost always one of those things happening 😂

I’ve found that I “graze”. My fingers skim over my skin, looking for imperfections or pimples. It’s a nightmare. I realised that I’m looking for a release, a snap, a letting go of pressure.

So I started clicking my fingers. Finger snapping, you know? The way a music teacher would keep time- I’m not breaking my fingers or popping the joints I promise 😅 I’ll post a gif if it lets me in the comments

Anyway, that release of pressure, the sound, the way it occupies my fingers. It helps to let the urge go or at least partially be satisfied.

How have you managed to stop picking or tearing at the skin on your fingers? I also have OCD and a fear of serious illnesses. I was in Crete, Greece, with my family from October 6th to 13th, and I’m a huge animal lover. As is well known, there are many stray cats on the island; one day, I used my fingers to move a metal food can—bought from a store—from which two stray cats had been eating less than a minute earlier. I’m terrified that some of their saliva got onto my fingers and that I might contract rabies—EVEN THOUGH Greece is officially a rabies-free country. The mother cat hissed and spat when I approached, but that was likely just because her kitten was nearby and she was protecting it. In any case, this habit of picking at my skin causes a lot of stress—even while traveling—and it is EXTREMELY difficult to stop. Any tips would be greatly appreciated! My thumb was probably not that bad looking when I were in Crete, now I have eaten it even more, maybe due to stress etc. For my own peace of mind, I left a callback request to my local healthcare emergency service regarding the risk of rabies, even though there should be none. Thanks for the help!!

Hey everyone,

I’m 32 and have been popping zits and picking scabs for my entire adult life.

Recently I decided to quit substances entirely as it felt like booze and weed and everything else was just a way to artificially reduce stress. I used these apps that pretty much just track abstinence day by day. It worked SO well that I decided to try it for skin picking.

I downloaded a free app that just tracks minutes/hours/days that have elapsed since a set time. I’m now about 4 days in and I haven’t touched my skin once. It feels like magic. I don’t know what sort of cognitive or behavioural thing is going on behind the scenes but there’s something about timing and tracking progress that suddenly makes it feel possible. It’s like “well I made it 1 day, may as well try for 2.”

I don’t normally post on reddit but really felt like sharing. Try it out for yourself! Maybe you’ll have some luck like I did.

Hello, tentatively sharing here because I'm embarrassed about this and don't feel like I can talk to anyone about it.

For the last couple of months I have been going through phases of obsessively picking at my gums, around where my teeth sit into them. Gross, I know. I've never done this before, but when I start I can't stop. The worst part is, the more I do it, the more bits of the tissue stick out and make me want to pick them more. I can't ignore it, because I can feel it all the time with my tongue. It hurts, it makes my gums feel a bit raw, and I'm worried that they won't self repair if I go too far, or (actual nightmare) that next time I go to the dentist, he'll be able to tell?

I've tried to Google this and can't find much, but read a bit about BFRB so I said I'd try here. For reference, when I was a teenager I used to obsessively pick at the skin/spots/blemishes on my face, and it took me a long time to grow out of it. I guess I've been known to pick at my skin sometimes on my feet also. But I've never really linked all these things. The gums are the worst to date.

Any help or advice on why I am doing this or how I can stop would be appreciated...

I’ve been dealing with this for years it’s so exhausting and I feel like I’ve tried everything. Meds for my ocd, short nails, long nails, no mirrors, no lights, $100 skincare, no skincare, you name it. I can’t put into words just how TIRING it is, and it makes me sick to admit it takes up hours of my day. Not to mention the serious toll on my confidence. I’m glad I’m not the only one but sometimes it really feels like it.

A refresh, for me & yall & me

hi guys so i physically cant stop myself from skin biting and nail biting at all. I have this habit since i was a kid

i just CANT stop myself and my fingers look terrible and they all bleed daily bcs i keep picking at them.

any suggestions how do i stop?

Hey everyone. Long time finger chewer/ picker here. I am feeling so proud of myself but too embarrassed to share in my circle so I'm sharing here anonymously (I don't judge others and am trying not to judge myself but you know how it is).

I started when I was about 9, I can't really remember why but it became my main stim/ comfort. Didn't matter if I was stressed, upset, anxious, or excited - that's what I was doing. I had the classic experience of my parents yelling at me/ telling me off/ shaming me. I know they meant well and just wanted me to stop but it never worked and just made me feel ashamed lol. I'm an adult now and whilst they still make the odd comment when it happens, they have mostly given up/ learned that it doesn't help. I feel so ashamed and embarrassed about it and I tried so many ways to stop but I just never got past it. My ex partner would leave the room sometimes when I was on one, and I mean, I get it. But damn even that didn't work. No one has ever commented in social circles or at work but I know people notice and it makes me feel so awful. I thought I'd never stop and I was doomed forever.

Cut to now. I got engaged last year (to a very supportive and loving person) and I really want the pictures of our hands/ rings at the wedding to have unedited photos of my hands and preferably not chewed up ones. I realised none of my other efforts were going to work so was racking my mind how I was going to do it now. Every other time I tried, I tried to go cold turkey. So this time I've committed to stopping chewing/picking one digit at a time, starting with my thumbs.

And it's working.

My left thumb is now healed, and my right thumb is halfway there. I made sure not to rush into the next digit/ waited until I felt ready. Now that both thumbs are 'off limits' in my mind and thats sunk in, i'll be moving to the pointy fingers next. I hope to have stopped chewing 4/10 digits by Christmas and then I have most of next year to stop the others. I think it's doable considering I didn't properly start this until Easter time.

I feel so proud of myself i could cry, I've never made it this far before. I just wanted to share somewhere where people get it. I want to figure out a way to celebrate it someday too, if anyone has any cool fun ways they've celebrated their successes, let me know.

I always feel like no one could ever love my body. I haven’t had sex in several years and I feel like I don’t know when I’d ever be comfortable with having sex again. I always think “when I start to control the skinpicking”. But I started skinpicking when I first got acne over a decade ago as a teenager and it’s gotten worse within the past year. I miss feeling good in my own body.

The photo doesn’t look as bad as it actually is, but it’s truly painful. I have been struggling with this since I was about 9 years old. I know it’s caused from anxiety. I disassociate and I will pick for hours and not even know what’s happening and it won’t even hurt until I’m done. It’s like my brain doesn’t register anything until it recognizes what’s happening. I sat and did this for two hours and I didn’t even know I was doing it again and all I had was one little cut on my foot. I cried because I’m so frustrated and wanna tear my hair out because I do this to my fingers and my toes and my scalp as well. I want it to stop. But I honestly can’t afford the medicine I’m supposed to take. I’ve tried all kinds of fidgets and activities to distract my hands and not a single one has actively prevented me from going and picking again. I know this looks gross. My feet aren’t dirty they’re kind of bruised from how hard I push my knuckles into my feet. Does anyone know what could help me stop?

How do I stop picking my lips? For context, I started when I had to quit vaping when I got pregnant (3rd time, wasnt hard to quit the laat two times and didnt resort to this the last two times)

Ive always literally my whole entire life have either picked stuff (wall paint, blankets pillows as a kid and as getting older it was my skin around my fingernails.)

But im 8 months postpartum and cannot stop. Its bad. Its everyday nearly all day until theres nothing left to pick at. My lips are swollen and burn.

Ive tried chapstick. Lip gloss. I am vaping again and still do it. Just nonchalantly. Like I need to be doing it. Scrolling, playing video games, standing or sitting around. It doesn't matter. I just do it all the time. And nothing ive tried to help stop is actually working and sticking to it. My brain loves how it feels , the little bit of pain and the satisfaction of peeling them.

Please help me figure out how to quit doing this for good😣

I've tried using stupid amounts of Vaseline, I've tried breaking the habit from willpower, and none of it's working. Please note I'm not allowed fake nails or anything like that with my school, it's pretty strict.