Tips from someone one year healed <3

[u/ontopofblueberryhill]

Hello everybody, happy holidays.

This morning I took a shower with totally healed skin. No open wounds, no bleeding sores everywhere, no having to be so careful where I apply lotion...

I never thought I'd heal. Last November/December I had the absolute worst relapse of my life picking wise, my arms were covered in 20+ dime to quarter sized wounds and I never thought I would look normal again. I was also picking my face a ton and the behavior was so out of control, I was doing it for 2-3 hours per day every day. I went to urgent care like 5 times and I'll never forget how the nurse GASPED when I showed her my wounds. I considered checking myself into a rehab program but I knew it would be too expensive and ultimately it was up to me whether I stopped or not. So I made a choice:

I DECIDED I was going to stop. No more "if", no more "how". I decided no more "wondering" whether or not I was going to be this way forever: I made the decision to stop.

Now, did I still relapse probably 100+ times after this? YES. I did. But every SINGLE time I relapsed I told myself it was a stepping stone on the way to stopping. I started PRAISING myself every time I caught myself and stopped instead of focusing on shitting on myself for picking. And believe it or not, the relapses became smaller and smaller. This was a SLOW process.

I stopped all tracking & obsessing and instead focused on finding hobbies and GROUP activities that made me feel creative and included in a common interest. This made a HUGE difference - there are all kinds of free community programs, classes, events...something new that "breaks the loop" that your brain has created. Again, this takes time and consistent effort to find the right fit.

One year later, my arms and scars are totally healed and back to normal. I cant believe it but its true!! HEALING IS POSSIBLE, it's possible for you. Do not give up and do not quit believing in your ability to change. You can do it too.

[u/grmaph3]

Congrats and thank you for sharing your journey and hope

[u/mehhhh24 → u/grmaph3]

For real.🖤 kudos!

[u/JasmineTeaInk]

Thank you for this

[u/librarystepstool]

Similar journey here. Way to go!!

[u/jchinique]

This deserves all the upvotes! Thanks for helping keep me in a positive mindset

[u/Difficult_Disk6668]

So beautiful…this is such excellent advice. Behaviour change is never driven by guilt or shaming yourself- the trick is to be merciful and loving!

[u/Booksonly666]

💜💜

[u/Aynessachan]

Congratulations!!!! 🎉 this is an amazing achievement!! I found the best success when staying positive instead of scolding myself as well.