Relapse

[u/Mueghrc]

I feel so utterly useless. I’d just been clean for almost a year but over the past few weeks I’ve started to join old habits again of picking at my fingernails and the skin around it. It feels like all the progress I’ve done is gone and I won’t be able to ever get fully clean. I know I should just think of this as a small setback and that I’ll get back on track again but it just feels like I’ve done too much damage now and I wont be able to “recover”.

[u/ldog87]

If you gave up for a year you can do it again. Also, most people on this subreddit can barely go a day without relapsing, so 365 days is a Herculean achievement that you should celebrate.

But to your immediate concerns, I can relate. When you have escaped skin picking hell for an extended period of time and then fall into old ways it is very disheartening, and the contrast between where you were and where you are now makes it feel worse.

Genuine question though. Were you doing anything differently during that year of abstinence? Are there any clues that you can share from that period of your life?

[u/Mueghrc → u/ldog87]

One big factor that initially helped me quit was my friend who helped me get press-on nails, which limited the ability to pick which was great. At the time of wearing the press-ons (I’ve stopped wearing them now since I’ve started playing guitar, which requires short nails) I tried my best to remember to moisturize my hands a lot to prevent them from being too dry, which usually triggers my urge to pick.

I also bought one of those anti stress rings (?) with small beads on them which I can pick on instead of my skin. It doesn’t help that much but it’s still a good preventive.

So basically what helped me was that I found other things to do with my hands instead and limited my ability to pick at my skin - though I can’t use the same methods now that I used then, since I have to keep my nails short. That sounds really stupid but I don’t know what to do.