Substitution is like a replacement, less harmful behaviour that still allows you to feel like youāve picked.Ā
Fidget toys-Ā Thereās a huge range of other fidget toys out there that you may find is better suited to what helps you keep away urges to pick ā Iāll go over a few of them, but if youāre looking for inspiration itās worth looking into the stimming community since thereās always new wonderful fidget toys that people are discovering there. You never know when you might find the one that suits you best!
If you decide to look into the stimming community for ideas of things that may help, please be aware and mindful that stimming is used by autistic people (like me!) and those with ADHD. It doesnāt traditionally cater to BFRBās specifically, but there may be methods and fidget toys shared there that you could find useful.
Tangles- I find tangles to be particularly useful. I always have one with me any time that I anticipate being still (in class, queueās, on the bus) because being idle is a big trigger of mine. Being able to have something that occupies my hands helps to lower the occurrence of getting urges to pick in the first place!Ā
Chewellery- In short, chewellery is jewellery that can be chewed. Something like this may be useful for biting replacement, especially if the chewellery youāre using is particularly finger-shaped, such as the kryptobite. Chewellery can come in different levels of softness and hardness to suit the type of force that you usually tend to use to bite.
Mochi animals- Small squishy creatures that almost have stretchy, jelly-ish consistency that can be pulled, pinched, and picked at. These can be found online relatively cheaply.
Fidget cubes- Like plain tangles, they can be something that you find useful because it keeps your hands occupied before the urge to pick can occur. Thereās a lot of different shapes and designs that these can come in now thanks to the popularity of these tools.
Liquid latex- Often people will recommend putting glue on your fingers, and peeling it off to help deal with an urge, however liquid latex is designed to go around your cuticles to help keep your skin clean when doing nail art, which can also be peeled off. This stuff is meant to go on your fingers so Iād recommend it over glue
Peel masks- Along with liquid latex, gel masks can be put on your face and peeled off to help stimulate the peeling feel
Peeling oranges- I wouldnāt recommend this if you already have some wounds on your fingers (Ouch!) but thereās a lot of satisfaction to be taken in peeling the skin off of fruits.
Nail polish- If nail polish is something that you enjoy wearing, then do! I pick off my nail polish quite a lot. With this one Iād suggest investing in a good nail oil ā picking off nail polish isnāt amazing for your nail care, but it might be better than going to town on the rest of your skin.
Avoidance
For some, sight is a trigger. Discolourations and irregularities on the skin can be triggering, but for some avoiding those visual triggers entirely may help reduce the potential for a picking episode.
Below Iāve noted some common methods that people use to visually avoid triggers.
The types of triggers that people have are unique and individual. If avoidance is a tactic youāre using to try and recover from a BFRB, itās important to be aware of your personal triggers to effectively avoid them.
Nail Polish - While nail polish can be used as a medium to pick at, itās also useful as a way to avoid seeing your nails if thatās something you may find triggering.
Mirrors- Avoiding mirrors isnāt always possible, but Iāve found that keeping a clear focus on what I have to do after using a mirror can sometimes help me to avoid getting pulled into a picking episode.Ā
Clothes- Wearing long sleeves or gloves. This doesnāt always work so well, itās easy to just roll up your sleeves or take off the gloves, but if sight is a trigger, then it may be something that works a bit. Putting on gloves well before an urge to pick even occurs may work better than putting on gloves because youāre already getting urges to pick.