I’m 18 and have dealt with anxiety for as long as I can remember; I have spent time in counselling and private therapy for it, which has helped me manage symptoms to a certain degree. 

One thing I can’t seem to stop or manage very well are my anxious habits. I used to bite my nails, then when I stopped doing that I started picking at the skin around my fingernails/on my lip until they would be raw and bleeding. Then i started pulling hair out, to the point where I gave myself two small bald patches. When I thought I’d managed to stop myself from doing that, i started pulling out eyebrow hairs, and have now spent over a year with rather thinned eyebrows because I can’t seem to stop myself from doing it. It also gets worse when I’m particularly stressed or anxious, which is rather often. 

Whenever I seem to stop myself from doing one thing, I start doing something else. I alternate between picking at my skin, biting my lip, pulling hairs out etc. It is extremely frustrating, especially since it impacts my physical appearance, which then impacts my mood and mental well-being. My mum also constantly points out/criticised these flaws and gets angry at me for not stopping, but they are very difficult habits to break since I’ve been engaging in them for several years and often do not even notice I am doing it; sometimes I notice, but just cannot seem to stop myself from doing it even when I tell myself to stop.

Does anyone else struggle with this? Is there a way I can learn to stop myself from engaging in these habits? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!