Missteps

I made it through 10 days without picking, then yesterday, caved. There's not much to say about it - my skin was bad and I couldn't leave it alone - surely if I did nothing it wouldn't improve, right? Who knows. My patience is limited. I started with steaming, then did a mask, then did some minor exfoliation, but I still wasn't getting the results I wanted, so some hours later I gave in and picked. I think I am going to do what I've resisted for a long time and buy a comedone extractor - it would probably be better just to leave my skin alone but if I feel like I have to extract better to use a sterilized tool than my fingertips and finger nails, right? The goal is to extract once, then cleanse and moisturize properly, eat healthy, drink plenty of water, keep stress levels as low as possible, get plenty of sleep, and make peace with whatever imperfections remain/return. I know that should be number one - make peace with what is - but I'm not quite there, yet. As for no picking, I start again today and will try again to make it to a month to begin. My face hurts.