I Have Anxiety
The most common self-destructive behaviours are smoking/drinking, cutting, anorexia/bulimia etc. I don't do any of that, but I do have a really bad habit of picking and scratching at my skin. I'm pretty sure it's caused by general anxiety. It's compulsory, and half the time I'm not even aware that I'm doing it, so it's difficult to stop myself.
While I was in university, I tried to curb it by wearing really covering clothing. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my homework long enough to get anything done. Whenever I wasn't in classes, I was at home alone trying to work. 5 minutes spent hammering out an essay, pause to ponder my argument... and next thing you know I've spent 20 minutes tearing the **** out of my shoulders or arms before I snap out of it. It also helps to have people around, because my girlfriend likes to snap at me if she catches me scratching at my face, and my friends know to yell at me if I spend too long in the washroom. But I spend a lot of time alone, and it's when I have nothing to distract me that it gets really bad.
I'm sick of this habit. I'm at the point where I dislike wearing revealing clothing because of all the scratch marks and scars. I've never been prone to acne, but you'd never know by all the marks.
I've beginning to think that I should look into medication for my anxiety. It's gotten a lot better in recent years, but the fact that this habit has persisted makes me wonder if I'm much more strung out than I think I am. I may not be having panic attacks, but clearly a low level of consistent anxiety can do just as much damage.
While I was in university, I tried to curb it by wearing really covering clothing. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my homework long enough to get anything done. Whenever I wasn't in classes, I was at home alone trying to work. 5 minutes spent hammering out an essay, pause to ponder my argument... and next thing you know I've spent 20 minutes tearing the **** out of my shoulders or arms before I snap out of it. It also helps to have people around, because my girlfriend likes to snap at me if she catches me scratching at my face, and my friends know to yell at me if I spend too long in the washroom. But I spend a lot of time alone, and it's when I have nothing to distract me that it gets really bad.
I'm sick of this habit. I'm at the point where I dislike wearing revealing clothing because of all the scratch marks and scars. I've never been prone to acne, but you'd never know by all the marks.
I've beginning to think that I should look into medication for my anxiety. It's gotten a lot better in recent years, but the fact that this habit has persisted makes me wonder if I'm much more strung out than I think I am. I may not be having panic attacks, but clearly a low level of consistent anxiety can do just as much damage.
By:
KA3K
Age:
22-25
,
Male
