For context, I've been picking at my skin aggressively (no skin to the first knuckle) since I was a little kid, and I'm almost 20 now. Over the past few months, I've really decided to lock in on stopping, even though I've tried before in the past. I've almost fully quit! Almost. I'm almost there.
My process so far has been:
- Start small. Eliminate one finger at a time. I started with three fingers that had the least amount of damage. Then, my whole left hand was off limits. I find that the more rough skin I have, the more I pick, so still allowing myself to heal partially without stopping cold turkey REALLY helped. Then, one finger at a time at a time on my right hand.
- Something additional that has helped, is that instead of picking, I consciously mimic the motion when I was the urge to just press on it. Press on the skin hard. It doesn't make the urge fully go away, but it almost gives the same feeling.
- Finally, I've been using nail polish. $1 bottle from Miss A, but you could get cheap nail polish anywhere. The main difference though is that I've been painting on top of my scabs, where the cuticle is growing. (Not covering my whole finger, haha. Just the cuticle.) Something about the nail polish covering the damage lessens my urge to attack it, visually.
- I've also opted to consciously forget I have hands. Can't explain it, but it works about 70% of the time.
- I've always worn a ring since I'm in a relationship, and that has been a nice fidget, too.
Anyway, good luck in recovery, all of you. I'm almost fully healed, aside from a relapse here and there, and I know you could be, too. Godspeed, guys. We got this!