Calm under Pressure

I have exams coming up, which means that most of the people around me are under a lot of stress. I could easily get caught up in it and get very stressed out as well. Instead, I am making an extra effort to remain calm. I am spending time alone, meditating, and doing the grounding I have described previously. I am exercising, stretching, and eating relatively well too. Of course I am concerned about doing well on the exams, but I don't want to freak out because I don't think that will help me do better. Frankly, I think I'm more concerned about hurting myself. I can't afford to fall back into negative patterns - getting wrapped up in long picking sessions would be terrible at this point. I also want to remain strong so that my friends feel a little less stressed when they are around me. About the picking, well, I have had some problems since I started the 28-day challenge I described in my last post. I have picked at my arms, legs, and chest a few times and I've scratched at bumps on my scalp. Of course, it could be worse, and with time, not picking seems to be getting easier. I haven't had to skip any fitness classes because of being self-conscious about my skin, which is great. I hope that by the time the weather warms up again I'll have no problems wearing short sleeves. In the meantime, though, I'm taking it one day and actually, one moment at a time.

28 Days

I think most if not all skin pickers have heard that it takes 28 days for our bodies to replace old skin cells with new skin cells. 28 days is also the length of the lunar cycle. I've decided that I am going to try not to pick at my skin for the next 28 days. I'll check back in on February 14, which is coincidentally, Valentine's Day, if not sooner.