How to Reverse the Habit of Picking at Your Pimples

The process of habit reversal, whether it is for full-blown psychogenic excoriation or just a garden variety bad habit of picking at your pimples, usually requires four steps. You could go through these four steps with the help of a therapist, but most adults can easily do them on their own and most parents can help their children through the process without outside help.

• Make a point of becoming aware of how often you pick your pimples. This means keeping a diary. Every time you pick at your skin, jot down a note of what time it is, what part of your body you are picking at, what you were doing when you started picking at your skin, where you were when you started picking at your skin, and how you felt when you were picking at your skin (for example, "happy," "busy," "bored," "tired," "sick to my stomach," and so on). Then take a look at your list at the end of the day and at the end of the week. Sometimes simply making a commitment to keep a diary of your activities changes what you do. For one, if you know you'll have to write it down after, you might not want to pick at that pimple.

• Choose some activity that you will do every time you get an urge to pick at a pimple. This has to e some lawful, safe, inexpensive, and healthy activity that makes it impossible for you to pick at your skin. Some possibilities are sitting down at the piano and playing Chopsticks, or shuffling a deck of cards, or touching each finger of one hand to the corresponding finger of the other hand until the urge to pick at your acne goes away. You could also take inspiration from people who are quitting smoking and drink a large glass of water, go for a short walk, or do a few puships.

• Avoid the activity that is associated with the urge to pick at your skin. If you find that you pick at acne when you are home alone brooding in silence, find something to fill the silence, or find something to do around the house. If you find that you pick at your skin after you are scolded for a habit you cannot or don't want to change, or after visiting with a difficult family member, when you get a new assignment on the job, or when you can't have a drink or a smoke, you may need some professional help in finding alternative activities that are healthier for your skin and more productive for your life as a whole.

• Share your learning with others. As yet, there are no Twelve Step Groups for Pimple Picking Addiction — but you could always start the first. Working with a good therapist will help you find appropriate social outlets for discussing your skin issues and maybe getting greater insight into other psychological issues you can change to improve your life. We're sure there are online support groups, but be careful. They might just keep you in the loop, rather than help you kick the habit.

Overcoming the habit of constantly picking at your skin may not be easy, and you may require some professional help along the way. Overcoming the psychogenic excoriation, however, is possible, and you may improve your life in more ways than you ever imagined along the way.