How Do You Deal With Hair-Pulling And Skin-Picking Compulsions?

If you deal with trichotollomania, excoriation, or another body-focused repetitive behavior, we want to hear your tips.

Dealing with a body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) like compulsive hair-pulling or skin-picking can be exhausting and frustrating, to say the least.

instagram.com

"Body-focused repetitive behavior" (BFRB) is a general term for any disorder that makes someone touch their hair and body in ways that result in physical damage — like bald patches, skin discoloration, bleeding, or scarring. Trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder) and excoriation (skin-picking disorder) are two common BFRBs.

And while working with a professional is the best way to move toward recovery, lots of people have found little ways to keep picking and pulling compulsions at bay day-to-day.

So we want to know: Outside of professional treatment, what things have been invaluable in dealing with your pulling or picking compulsions?

Al Boardman / Via giphy.com

Maybe you keep track of every day you go without pulling or picking and reward yourself after a streak.

@_anymalinka_ / Via instagram.com

Or maybe you rely on fiddle jewelry to keep your fingers busy.

FullMoonJewellery / Via etsy.com

Maybe you keep a collection of fabric scraps handy to destroy when you really need to pick or pull.

@justchaseit / Via instagram.com

Or maybe you've discovered ways to camouflage the effects to help reduce anxiety during recovery.

Kaylann Marie / Via youtube.com

Like, maybe finally learning how to get a great brow look with makeup was really empowering — and helped you keep your hands off.

Share what has worked best for you in the comments below and your response could appear in an upcoming BuzzFeed Health post!