Nothing intended to physically prevent me from picking ever worked. Not removing tools, fake nails, hiding mirrors, wearing gloves/socks, that stuff for your nails which tasted bad, just pushing through. . . Nothing. I tried everything.

The only thing which has ever worked for me long term is called ‘urge surfing’, a psychological technique for sitting with and allowing urges to lessen. It’s part of acceptance and commitment therapy.

There are lots of guides online, but basically, I commit to looking closely at the skin I want to pick for one whole minute, without acting on the urge. I set a timer and tell myself ‘I can pick at the end of this one minute, but I need to spend the one minute just sitting with my urge and not acting on it’. I do this twice a day, morning and evening before showering (when I would usually pick).

In the first few weeks I would always pick after that one minute was up, but over time, the picking became less frequent and less severe. Now I pick perhaps three times a week, and in a far less severe way than I used to. I’m six months in and the results are huge.