Hi friends, I’ve had a few tweets recently asking for advice about how to manage #SkinPicking during these unprecedented times so I’m putting this thread together with some useful resources & organisations.
#mentalhealth #coronavirus
#Skinpicking & #hairpulling disorders are in a family of conditions known as Body Focused Repetitive behaviours or #BFRBs. They affect 1 in 25. Key organisations worldwide include @tlcbfrb @CanadianBFRB @PickingMeFdn @HabitAware

Here’s @tlcbfrb booklet
http://www.bfrb.org/storage/documents/Expert_Consensus_Treatment_Guidelines_2016w.pdf
This gives a quick and useful overview of #BFRBs - there are 5 key triggers to identify - so it might be worth looking at those first and seeing if you can find something to intervene in those times, places and sensations when #skinpicking energy spikes. https://www.self.com/story/body-focused-repetitive-behaviors/amp#click=https://t.co/gx20ABtGIA
Noticing the patterns that are unique to your #skinpicking also helps understand a way to intervene, the time of day & picking duration, places, thoughts and feelings, conscious focused picking or picking without noticing it. Some people keep a journal initially to identify them
Due to #coronavirus we are advised to avoid touching our faces right now, not so simple for the many of us worldwide living #SkinPicking or #hairpulling disorder.

Check out @HabitAware wearable technology https://habitaware.com/pages/stop-face-touching
Another good resource is this blog @tlcBFRB which includes a list of useful activities, interventions and relaxation techniques during #coronavirus #lockdown for those with #SkinPicking or #hairpulling

https://www.bfrb.org/blog/1-blog/501-bfrb-a-covid-19-
In terms of interventions for #SkinPicking or #hairpulling disorders it can be very useful to find something that refocuses fingers or hands - often with a sensory, motion or tactile element. For me it became drawing, often with charcoal @The_Big_Draw https://thebigdraw.org/drawntolife-interview-with-liz-atkin
Since I can no longer create my free #CompulsiveCharcoal drawings for passengers on the tube (I miss it so much), I’ve started #Texturehuntergatherer tweets to look up, refocus, & help manage my #skinpicking #anxiety #mentalhealth during #lockdown.

RT & join in with your own!
You can follow @LizAtkin.
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