Stop picking my fingers

Today I figured out finger picking is actually a real, honest to goodness minor disorder. After figuring this out, I’ve decided to quit entirely. I have tried two times before with the Butterfly Challenge and that didn’t seem to work. So, this time around, I WILL succeed. 5 months ago

It’s aliiiiive! 10 months ago

Painted my nails an amazing color & I’m not going to even touch my fingers! it’s a nervous habit & it looks really bad & I’m ready to stop. 20 months ago

Ripped my nails back down to the quick. What can I say? Last week SUCKED. If that’s the worst I could do, I’m still doing pretty good. I have a week and a half to grow them back out before my next massage. I find I’ve gotten accustomed to my massage therapist’s praise in this regard. Plus when I’m not ripping my fingers apart every day, I’m really not used to the pain. I’m not used to not being able to use my fingers for basic everyday tasks without them busting open and bleeding. Annoying. 1 year ago

Been picking and nibbling since I was a kid.. now I’m 33! It gets me down but I can’t resist. I find myself doing it subconciously almost all the time, all fingers and thumbs (not nails), particularly during times of stress. I’m an expert at hiding the picking, while talking to people, meetings at work etc, although I do get caught out occasionally to my (brief) embarrassment. Only just made the step of googling skin picking (a big deal just to acknowledge for me) and was surprised to find so much info and people with the same condition.

Time to kick the habit! Any advice or tips appreciated. The one thing I find that helps in the immediate short term is excercise (I’m a keen runner), together with a decent hand cream to speed up healing, but the healing skin is too tempting to pick at and I’m soon back to sore red fingers.

Perhaps theres something in the darkest depths of my mind that I need to address… maybe?! 1 year ago

I’ve actually avoided going to get a massage because I was embarrassed about my nails. Even though it would have been relaxing and would have made me want to pick less, I knew my massage therapist would notice how horrible they looked. No matter—they’re healed now and looking okay. I still pick a little at the dry bits of cuticle, but that’s nothing compared to the damage I’ve inflicted in the past. Marking this as ‘done’. Again. 2 years ago

I have been doing this since I was 13 and I don’t know how to stop. My fingers bleed at times and I just cant help it. I try to stop but I just can. 2 years ago

I better slow down or I am going to have to start picking other people’s fingers. 2 years ago

Ripped my nails down to the quick and tore off the surrounding skin last night. Here we go again… 2 years ago

I’ve gotten 2 favorable comments, unsolicited no less, on my nails in the past 4 days. A person I’d just met told me my nails looked “neat” on Sunday and today my massage therapist said I must be doing well because my fingers aren’t all ripped apart like they usually appear to be. Honestly I haven’t been paying much attention to my nails since my last post. I might have to reopen this goal in the future though. I know a habit I’ve had since I was 5 years old doesn’t just disappear completely after a month… 2 years ago