#slightly robot

Yes!! 

So! I wanted to do a review for the Slightly Robot bracelet, since it doesn't seem like this device is very well known, even among the BFRB community.

http://www.slightlyrobot.com/

What is it? It's a piece of wearable technology designed to help you manage your BFRB! Basically, it's just a bracelet that vibrates at you when you put your hand into your 'problematic' position (I pick my skin, so mine vibrates when I leave my hand near my face for more than a few seconds), reminding you to stop.

It was developed specifically by and for people with BFRBs, which is very cool, since there is so little out there specifically for these types of disorders. It has an app that tracks your daily habits, keeping track of how long it's been since you picked your skin (or pulled your hair, or whatever your behavior is; you can customize the wording on the app to your specific experience), and get a good idea of your patterns so you can figure out what your biggest triggers are.

Sounds simple, but it's so helpful. If you are someone who engages in picking or pulling unconsciously it will make you aware of what you are doing and gently remind you to stop. It creates an environment of accountability and support without having to have another person monitor you 24/7. And, it won't get annoyed no matter how many times it has to keep reminding you to stop. :)

Does it work? In my experience so far, yes! BUT, you do have to put in some effort still. It's not a miracle device. I have had nights where I took the bracelet off to get in the shower and instantly ended up in front of the mirror picking. You can ignore the buzzing if you want to. You can take it off entirely. I think in part it's effectiveness is going to depend on how well you let it work. Overall though the bracelet, for me, has been positive, and is definitely helping me break my more stubborn habits.

Case in point: I've always thought of myself as a very conscious picker, so I did wonder initially if this bracelet would work very well for me. I know exactly what I'm doing when I pick. I go sit in front of a mirror and inspect my skin on purpose, looking for things to 'fix'. I'm one of those people that can end up on the floor for literal hours, lost in the trance, doing nothing but finding imperfections to dig out of my skin, leaving myself covered in welts and bleeding wounds. I keep track of every zit and scab on my body. I have a mental map of the damage at all times. I'll just think about a spot and decide "okay, I'm going to go take care of that". I feel like I've always made the very conscious decision to pick.

Turns out, I pick unconsciously all the time. Within 5 minutes of putting the bracelet on it buzzed at me. I was just sitting and talking with my roommates, not what I normally consider a high risk activity (I do my worst picking at night, alone in the bathroom), but I was scratching at a spot on my face at the same time without thinking about it at all. The bracelet buzzed at me and my hand instantly went to my lap, and I had an immediate realization about just how ingrained this behavior is in my life, that even when I'm not actively picking (as in, creating actual wounds), I'm still... well, picking. I'm still touching and scratching and feeling and reinforcing the habit. I'm never actually getting a break.

Let's cover some pros and cons!

Cons: First off, price, unfortunately. One bracelet goes for $90 (or 2 for $170) and I know a lot of people can't afford that. But if you're worried that it won't be worth it, that it won't work and it will have been a waste of money, know that it's just two brothers who make these in their kitchen and that if you decide, for any reason, you don't want the bracelet anymore, you can return it anytime in the first year for a complete refund, no questions asked. This is stated explicitly on their website.

The rest is just minor frustrations about the app, really. You have to have it running on your phone all the time for the bracelet to work, and that means you have to keep your phone on you all the time. I have problems with staying connected sometimes if I wander too far from my phone, where when I get back it refuses to connect again, so sometimes I just leave it off for a few hours instead of trying to fiddle with it.

It's kind of easy to accidentally trigger the app into recording a picking (or pulling, or whatever) session and resetting the timer for keeping track of how long it's been since your last episode. I had it up to eight days and ended up going back to zero because I was trying to hang a poster and had my hand up for too long. And once before that I reset the time on myself just by accidentally hitting the button... but it's still nice to have something to look at to keep track of some progress, and I should say there is a way to turn off the bracelet for short amounts of time if you know you will be needing your hands up near your face! I just forget.

The product is basically a beta version right now, though, so stuff like this is expected while they perfect the programming and such.

Pros: Aesthetically I think it's nice. It doesn't look like a 'device', it really just looks like a bracelet. It's seems a bit clunky when you look at it, but it never bothers me and is actually very light and easy to forget about, just like any other jewelry.

Service is good and shipping is fast! When my first bracelet ended up having issues and not working properly even though I had JUST ordered it, I emailed them and was shipped a new bracelet immediately at no extra charge, and they were very polite and professional and easy to talk to throughout the whole thing. They didn't make me return my original bracelet first or anything either, they just asked I decided which bracelet I wanted and returned the other, and provided a return shipping label too.

So! I do recommend anyone with a BFRB tries this product if it sounds like something that might help. There is a lot more information on their website that I didn't get into really, and a FAQ, and you can email the guys who actually make these things and talk to them personally, too.

Hopefully this helps some people!