Faye, this is so so brave. Thanks so much for opening up about your experience, it isn't an easy thing to do at all. I have suffered from trichotillomania for 6+ years and although I'm finally almost one year pull-free, it has brought me immense comfort to know that I'm not alone. Normalising the situation is so so important. In terms of things that have helped me, I found that CBT was helpful and also the app 'Slightly Robot' which tracks how long it's been since you've pulled/picked. I found that initially breaking it down to 'I'm not going to pull for half an hour/an hour/a day/two days' etc has really helped me. Thanks again for speaking up! x
Thanks for being honest Alice, really appreciate this and so glad you're one year pull-free, that's amazing! I haven't quite managed that but definitely going into that app, sounds interesting :) Really glad it's been appreciated me opening up x
I have never heard anyone openly talk about the issue of biting and picking at the skin around nails. I remember doing this since primary school and thinking it was a bad habit, but still now at 27 I still can’t stop! Thank you for talking about this and making me feel normal. I hate that it’s such a visible issue and I agree worry and stress makes it worse. I just try and sit in my hands in work meetings, though this hasn’t been much help so far!
Thanks for being open Sarah and glad it's helpful in some way! Hopefully by reading up on it more it can help you, or make you want to look into options if you feel necessary :) x
Really appreciate you sharing your struggle with picking and chewing. My sister picks her fingers and I never thought it could be a disorder when we were growing up. She’d just get told off for doing it poor love! It’s so important to shine a light on this kind of thing to educate people 💕😍
Aww glad it's helpful Sarah! There's definitely bad habits (of which kids love chewing, biting their fingers/nails!) versus it being a more serious condition! x
I’d never even considered it could be a ‘problem’ until you just mentioned it. I can pick my fingers excessively at times, my thumbs especially and they can bleed. I even have less defined knuckle lines on my left thumb due to picking over the years. I also attack my lips regularly which I wish I could stop. They’re more of a constant thing but my fingers are definitely stress or worry related, I think. Keep us updated! If you’re happy to of course, 😀 x
I suppose it's not really a problem if it's not causing problems but I've seriously damaged my fingers by doing it which I suppose is my main reason for trying to stop! Lots of people definitely have it as a habit, it's a tough one between being a habit and a more serious condition! Definitely worth looking into if it's causing you distress x
Thank you for being so honest, I hope you can find something to help really soon - or maybe that your stress reduces too! I have 3 of those Monki tops too, they're just so easy to wear. Lovely to see how your home updates are going. The painting your dad did is so nice - love the idea of it being based on a relief map! Take care 😊 xx
Good video Faye, we all are fighting our own battles and it's so OK to talk about it and normalizing the situation, right now I'm full on anxiety mode, which is not fun, but I have to face it and not thinking I'm the weirdo because I have this problem. So, thanks for sharing.
If you’re looking for a beautiful sage green paint, try farrow and ball “mizzle”. It is a bit more expensive but it is so opaque we didn’t need to use too much. It’s lovely.
I have dermatillomania and intrusive thoughts. I also have a problem with symmetry and having matching things. I pick my face and it looks horrendous sometimes. Mine has gotten worse as I've got older and I'm on medication which I hate. I hate it when you say you have OCD and people think it's just keeping clean! 😟
