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  #26  
Old Jun 07, 2022, 02:35 AM
*Beth* *Beth* is offline
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4.5 days is fabulous! Good for you!!
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  #27  
Old Jun 25, 2022, 02:27 PM
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Well. I was doing so good up until about 3 days ago, & then the combination of being on the rag, having a cold, & working 6 days/40+ hours a week helped torpedo my progress. I’m still not picking my fingernails, but I am picking my face, lips, & the skin around my fingernails. /:
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  #28  
Old Jun 25, 2022, 02:45 PM
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....& then I picked my fingernails...
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  #29  
Old Jul 03, 2022, 09:37 AM
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Ok, I want to start making more of an effort to replace these picking behaviors with less destructive behaviors starting again now. I can do it; I’ve done it before. It’s simple, but it’s not easy.
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  #30  
Old Jul 08, 2022, 07:29 PM
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Welp, I lasted 4 days. Pretty good. Better than 3 days. Ordinarily I would encourage myself to start again by telling myself something like “tomorrow is another day”, but that’s exactly what I’m afraid of. Today really kicked my butt. Working 6 days a week for 43-48 hours doesn’t help. My work transfer is still only status “submitted”. I’m supposed to get an offer letter in the mail next week I guess? Even if I don’t get it, I have a break in service next month. I’m ready to not be around my coworkers for five days straight. I can live with that.
  #31  
Old Jul 20, 2022, 05:10 PM
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I haven’t even been trying to not pick & it shows. My fingers are raw & there’s a spot on my face that looks like I’ve been burned. Once things settle down I will try again.
  #32  
Old Sep 01, 2022, 01:07 PM
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Ok, I’m starting again today. I made a spread in my dot journal to track my progress for the month…
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  #33  
Old Sep 14, 2022, 11:26 PM
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Good for you!
I was doing pretty well for about a month, then starting tearing at my cuticles again. I'm so frustrated with myself, but I'm making a huge effort to stop, at least for as long as I can.
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  #34  
Old Sep 22, 2022, 02:09 PM
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Sorry you're struggling with this I have been struggling with it too. I also pick at my nails and cuticles, and I picke at the skin on my neck and ears, I can't stop unless my hands are doing something else. I also started drawing again to give my hands something else to do and it has been somewhat helpful
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  #35  
Old Oct 06, 2022, 10:10 AM
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I got up out of bed last night to pick at my face & it looks worse today, obviously. I was so close to having a face picking free day yesterday too. I see how this compulsion is a way to try to regain the illusion of feeling in control. I’m feeling so angry at myself & members of my family of origin right now. I just want to let it all go. I’ll do some yelling in my car on the commute to work & see if that helps expel some of this pent up energy. I’m in a rural area so no one will hear.
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  #36  
Old Oct 29, 2022, 09:17 PM
*Beth* *Beth* is offline
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I've been thinking of you, @FloatThruThisand wondering how you're doing. I was having a better time with not tearing my cuticles, but a couple of weeks ago I started again and it's been pretty bad. One night I said, Eh, just stop trying to stop. But...I want to stop. You are so correct about the control thing.
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  #37  
Old Nov 01, 2022, 09:45 AM
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Hello *Beth*! Thank you for asking. I’ve been tracking my picking behaviors for the past 2 months now.

September no picking days:
Lips 18
Face 15
Fingers 15

October no picking days:
Lips 23
Face 13
Fingers 13

The last days of October, I stopped caring.
  #38  
Old Dec 01, 2022, 11:36 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FloatThruThis View Post
September no picking days:
Lips 18
Face 15
Fingers 15

October no picking days:
Lips 23
Face 13
Fingers 13
November no picking days
Lips 17
Face 14
Fingers 17

The first week of the month I was just half heartedly trying. The second week, I didn’t try at all. Then I realized thanksgiving was coming up, so that was good motivation that carried me through.
  #39  
Old Jan 01, 2023, 11:04 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FloatThruThis View Post
November no picking days
Lips 17
Face 14
Fingers 17
December no picking days
Lips 11
Face 11
Fingers 10

December sucked. I might have had more no picking days, but I shut down about week 3 and I am just now starting to feel okay again. So I might have missed counting a few days.

I picked at my fingernails too, which I haven’t done in about six months. I hate it, because it takes about 2 solid weeks of not picking at my fingernails for them to heal. I’m in a customer facing job, so it makes me feel more self conscious.

Oh well! There are worse problems to have, & after today, the holidays are over! …until next year… I’m not a fan, but it took me by surprise a little just how much more I despised them this year.
  #40  
Old May 16, 2023, 07:28 AM
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I haven’t posted here in a while. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I will never be 100% free of this bad habit, & it’s okay, but… I tore my nails off down to the quick again yesterday. I really hate when I do that.
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  #41  
Old May 16, 2023, 03:05 PM
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I’m so sorry to hear that @FloatThruThis

We can start again, from afresh! What drives yours?

I’m struggling with mine too.

I’ve been picking my arms and both a colleague and my mum have made comments recently.
I just made stuff up but I was so incredibly embarrassed
  #42  
Old May 16, 2023, 07:51 PM
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Hi Pinny, I’m sorry to hear you’re struggling with this too. Although I gave up on not picking my face, lips, & the skin around my fingernails, I had been going for months leaving my fingernails alone. My trigger to pick at my fingernails was that I had just trimmed them and one was a little ragged. That’s all it took. What about you?
  #43  
Old May 16, 2023, 08:40 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FloatThruThis View Post
Hi Pinny, I’m sorry to hear you’re struggling with this too. Although I gave up on not picking my face, lips, & the skin around my fingernails, I had been going for months leaving my fingernails alone. My trigger to pick at my fingernails was that I had just trimmed them and one was a little ragged. That’s all it took. What about you?
Aww I’m so sorry, it’s so difficult because I don’t know about you but sometimes I don’t even realise I do it! Until afterwards…
I guess stress is a huge factor for me. I’m always looking for ways to ease my stress but it’s hard at the moment as I’m working away from where I live. I don’t move jobs for another 2-3 months.

Do you use fidget toys?

  #44  
Old May 17, 2023, 08:32 AM
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Yes, it’s like my fingers have a mind of their own. Someone gave me a fidget spinner & I bought myself some playdoh, but they’re both put away somewhere unused. Have you found fidget toys helpful?
  #45  
Old May 17, 2023, 05:32 PM
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I actually don’t, but I do fidget with my phone pop thing and one of my rings. So I think they could be of benefit.
Maybe I should try one!
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  #46  
Old Jul 15, 2023, 09:22 AM
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Originally Posted by FloatThruThis View Post
I haven’t posted here in a while. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I will never be 100% free of this bad habit, & it’s okay, but… I tore my nails off down to the quick again yesterday. I really hate when I do that.
I tore my fingernails off down to the quick again last night. So this time I lasted 2 months. Better than nothing. I was picking at a toenail and it started to tear my fingernail a little; that’s what triggered it. I don’t really care about my toenails because nobody sees them, but my fingernails are a different matter. I think I’ll just try keeping my fingernails filed down even shorter than they were so I’m not as tempted to rip them off completely next time.
  #47  
Old Jul 24, 2023, 02:40 PM
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Only lasted nine days this time before tearing my fingernails off down to the quick again. My boss is back from vacation & our air conditioning isn’t working. Woe is me!
  #48  
Old Nov 11, 2023, 08:36 PM
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I tore my fingernails off down to the quick again last Sunday. I was picking at my toenails and my fingernails started to tear off and that’s all she wrote. I was doing okay in leaving my healing fingernails alone to grow back this week, but I went to a family gathering this afternoon and started picking at my fingernails and the skin around them again. Now I’m home and I don’t want to stop picking at them… It feels too good in the moment, but so painful and embarrassing later on. I have such a love hate relationship with this compulsive little behavior of mine. Oh well, there are worse problems to have. If I just leave them alone for two weeks they will heal themselves.
  #49  
Old Nov 25, 2023, 10:53 AM
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I tore my fingernails off down to the quick again Thanksgiving night. I was in bed watching tv/movies and started picking my toenails and my fingernails started to tear. That’s a trigger. I was rereading this thread after my last post and noticed that I had motivated myself last year by noticing Thanksgiving was coming up, so that kick started my willpower to keep that upcoming date in mind as a short term goal.

A new thing that has helped is (on top of the usual nail care), rubbing neutrogena hand cream into my cuticles. I do use cuticle oil, which is good, but rubbing in the hand cream after helps immensely. In addition to kind of locking in that oil, it creates a short term barrier to not see/feel where the cuticle may be dry or ragged.

I’m also going to look at fidget toys today, but I haven’t had luck with those in the past. It’s not enough to just have something to fiddle with, I need something that creates a feeling of flow as well or else I won’t be motivated to use it. I’m also going to try to be mindful of cutting my toenails regularly & start to wear socks to bed now that it’s cold out.
  #50  
Old Feb 01, 2024, 10:52 AM
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To top off the lovely week I’m having, I’ve got the zit from **** on my cheek. It looks like someone punched me and I wish they would. Oh well, at least my nails look okay finally…
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