Finger Picking

[phoebe_madissen]

I have a terrible habit of picking at the skin around my fingers. I've been doing it since elementary school and when I get stressed out or nervous it gets worse and worse and they'll start bleeding and it's just not good. My fingers are permanently red and puffy and sometimes they start bleeding at random times and I've tried everything to try to stop the habit but I do it without thinking even when I'm sleeping. It's super embarrassing when people ask what's wrong with my fingers and when I'm picking on them in class I feel like everyone is watching me and I hate it but I can't not do it. It also sucks because I love performing and I can't do it anymore because playing guitar or piano draws attention to my hands and after I perform people always ask what's wrong with my hands and I feel like crying. It's so embarrassing and they're really ugly and I worry that no one's ever going to want to hold hands with me because my fingers are so awful to look at.

[comb]

I’m so sorry you feel this way and are going through this! I also pick at my fingers. Know you are not alone 💌

[fauxartist]

There is this stuff I used to get for work cause I used my hands to do a lot of sanding and the ends of my fingers would split and bleed, it is called..liquid band-aide. I also used to glue the splits first together with superglue, yeah really, its was originally invented as a liquid suture. You will end up picking it off, but you just re-apply it and keep doing it, eventually the skin will heal.

The real issue is to try and take the time to do this so you are distracted from the anxiety which causes you to pick at your nails. May brake the habit, but also may give you time while applying this stuff to think about what is making you feel un-easy to begin with.

[Forestina]

Quite common I have a habit of pulling at the skin on my lower lip which gives it cow like patches.