Being Mindful

It's important to be aware, and be mindful of what you're doing.

As a skin picker, I've analyzed my weak moments and other vulnerabilities. (With the help of my therapist, of course.) For one thing, I realize that I have to actual think about not picking. Which is OK, but since it's a constant part of my mind, it happens all the time.

It means I have to be as mindful about stopping picking, as I am subconsciously picking.

My therapist said that I can't necessarily stop the urges to pick, but I can change the behavior. I can change my response to the urges. So I've been working on being more mindful of what I'm doing. That means stopping myself before I start picking or scratching. It means reacting to my thoughts on an on-going basis and trying to prevent myself from skin picking.

It's not easy. For days or even weeks, I can go without even thinking or trying to stop. It's a lot of work to stop.

But I'd rather stop than continue skin picking.