28/07/2025
"I'm over because I'm worthy of healing.
I've been struggling with body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) since I was about eight years old. Now at 30, I realize just how long that’s been. But it wasn’t until the past few years that I even recognized my picking as a problem.
Over time, this behavior has shown up in different ways—during my adolescent years, I mostly picked at my fingers. These days, the focus has shifted to my face and scalp. Sadly, I’ve developed small bald spots from picking, and I carry scars all over my body—from my head, to intimate areas, all the way down to my ankles. It’s a deep source of shame, one I carry silently until the scars fade enough to be less noticeable.
What many people don’t understand is how hard it is to “just stop.” For me, and for many others, it became a coping mechanism. A destructive one, yes—but something that’s been years in the making.
My family and I believe that my brother and I developed these habits as a result of growing up around domestic violence. It wasn’t always directed at us, but witnessing it was enough. The constant anxiety of not knowing what version of someone would walk through the door each evening—would he be angry, or would he be the happy-go-lucky, joke-cracking version of himself we loved?—left its imprint. When things were good, they were really good. But when they were bad, they were really bad..." - , Arizona
Thank you for sharing!
✨ Read full experience at pickingme.org/shareyourstory ✨
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