The Forums › Forums › Emotional Journey › Is It Just Me? › So embarassing…but skin picking, anyone? › Re: So embarassing…but skin picking, anyone?
I have picked at the skin on my fingers and chewed the inside of my mouth for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, I also remember how my parents and grandparents constantly criticized these behaviours. I still can’t stop doing these things; sometimes many minutes will have gone by before I realize it. But at least now I don’t blame myself anymore and that’s a relief!
In the last couple of years I’ve also started picking at the soles of my feet – I hate the fact that I do this but yeah, totally addictive somehow. (Wearing socks helps.) And I’ve started twirling my hair. When I’m alone, this can get very annoying, because sometimes I’ll feel like I have to make it all stay up in buns and that takes a long time, my hand gets tired, etc. (One year I resolved to a “dreadlock” hairstyle, because I was twisting my hair so much.)
Reading this was both tragic and hilarious. It’s funny that these are problems! But they really are, especially in social situations…
Another tip: I wear bandaids when my hangnails get painful, that way I can’t make them worse by accidentally picking at them more.
Come to think of it, ADHD is probably a big reason I started smoking: I don’t smoke much, but when I do it’s because I like having something in my hands/mouth, like when I have to walk somewhere. Ha.
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