I have a bracelet that I've been playing with when I'm watching tv or just sitting around, to keep my hands occupied. I guess this is what's called a competing response in habit reversal training. So far it's working pretty well. The bracelet's circular, hard metal. I rotate it and twirl it around my index finger, again and again.
I've experimented quite a bit with these kinds of things. Not just any object works - it has to be right weight and shape. Also, whatever you're doing with it shouldn't require too much concentration. I've tried squeezing stress balls before but I didn't like the way that felt. Knitting and crochet required a little too much focus, though they'd probably be great if I were just listening to something rather than listening and watching. About two years ago I had a nicely shaped river stone that I liked to rub when I was reading, but I lost it. I've tried one or two different stones since but they didn't have the right feel.
When I was a kid, I had a blanket with a satin edge. I used to carry the blanket around with me, rubbing the smooth edge over and over. Knowing this makes me think that perhaps some pickers have been fixated with touch since childhood, in the same way that some people are orally fixated. I wonder if it would be better to divert a fixation with touch to positive pursuits, for instance by taking up hobbies that require extensive use of the fingers and hands (like playing an instrument, massage, sewing, etc.), or to try to learn how to be still and to let the hands relax. For now, I feel such questions are beyond me. I'll just keep playing with my bracelet.
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