Peeling skin off my lip

[TwistofFate_07]

I’ve always had a habit of picking my skin off of my lips and eating it. I’ve been doing it since I was a child. I do it all the time. Primary the skin on the top center of my lip. I know that it sounds gross and trifling but I can’t stop. I don’t even know why I do it. Any advice on how to stop?




*I didn’t know where to put this so feel free to move it if necessary

[Rivière]

I think it's great you're aware of what you're doing! Emotions tend to contribute to physical behaviours.

When you do it, think about how you feel in that moment of time? Do you feel bored, anxious, nervous, frustrated?

I know when I get agitated or I'm thinking a lot, I tend to run my fingers through my hair and scratch a lot.

We each have different behaviours based on how we feel.

[Pork Chops]

Much to my Mother's aggravation I chew my hoodie strings, which she rants on about being unhygienic. As if. Sis and I do all the laundry while she poses before expensive cameras and gets her phizzog splashed across Vogue with fan adoration in the Hello! magazine.


If lip-chewing soothes you, carry on. It's not as if you crank up the stereo's volume 24/7, driving your parents batty.

[Spoons]

I pick at my skin in general, and it's definitely tough to stop. As I'm sure you know, it can cause damage to your lips and cause you to get sore, but sometimes it still is hard to stop.

Like Sarah said above, it may be a good idea to see if there's a certain thought of feeling that you experience when you pick your lips. Do you feel nervous about something? Are you sad? Is it in a certain situation? At least if you know this, you can know that when you start to feel that way you should find alternatives.

I also tend to do it when my hands are free and I'm not doing anything, so another thing I can think of is getting a fidget toy. There are so many different types to choose from. I have a fidget cube. Basically it's something to do with your hands so you don't automatically go to picking.

I hope this helps at least a little.

[Mallika]

I had this issue too!! I kept biting the centre part of my upper lip, anatomically it's called the "Cupid's bow". I don't know how it stopped, but it just did over time.

It's great that you are aware. I have a technique that I've been applying for another aspect of my life called the 4 steps method:

Step 1: Relabel - you label your habit as a habit. You call it what it is e.g. "It's my lip picking habit".

Step 2: Reattribute - you attribute the cause of the habit to where it came from e.g. "it is a tendency that's developed over time."

Step 3: Refocus - everytime you catch yourself engaging in this habit, you tell yourself to divert your attention to something else for the time being, trying to delay your response to do the habit. E.g. "I feel like biting my lips now but I'll get xyz done first."

Step 4: Revalue - this happens after you get a good hang of the first three steps, whereby you quickly recognise the habit for what it is as soon as it knocks and you immediately know you don't have to engage in what it's telling you to do. E.g. "It's just my habit, I can resist it. I don't have to listen to it."

This is adapted from Dr Jeffrey Schwartz's 4 steps to overcoming OCD. While the lip biting habit you have doesn't seem to be OCD, it has been said that the 4 Steps can be used to overcome many things, including a habit like this. I'll leave you with a link to it here: https://thebestbrainpossible.com/fou...ge-your-brain/

Best wishes!