this post was submitted on 25 May 2024
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I looked that up. Ouch! Is it ok if i ask whether it hurts or feels 'good' to do? You have an urge, or is it like a nervous tic? I'm curious what it is like if'n it's no trouble
Not the person you responded to, but for me it comes and goes as a result of OCD. It does hurt, but not terribly. To describe the urge, it's a bit like if there's a big bug on your arm. Once you notice it, it's difficult to not immediately swat it away, and until you do get it off, you're gonna be very aware that there's a bug on your arm. It's pretty much the same feeling, just directed toward hair instead of bug.
It might be totally different for other people, but that's just my experience.
I may be getting the wrong idea cus of the analogy, but is it directed towards a general spot on your scalp or do you feel like a specific follicle crawling on you you must remove? Wait, does talking about it increase the urge? Sorry if so, I'm really curious
Ah fuck, I worded that poorly. No, talking about it is fine, but thanks for asking! I don't mean the physical sensation is the same, like how you can feel a bug on your arm. Speaking for myself, it's like the mental reaction of "ick there's a bug on my arm, I have to get it off". There's no physical itch or tickle on my skin. I was trying to make that comparison because generally when there's a bug on you, it doesn't bother you if you don't notice it, and you might not even realize it's there for a while. But once you notice it or someone points it out, it'd be hard to just ignore it, even if you couldn't feel it on your skin at all.
As I'm typing this out, I'm realizing that it's possible that not everyone experiences quite as strong a reaction to having a bug on their skin that I do, especially as a person with ocd, lmao. But if you do, well, hopefully this helps!
Thank you, it does!
Yeah. Usually an itch for me
Honestly the pain may be the part that causes the addiction. For me it started when I was 11. I was stressed, untreated for ADHD, and an eyelash was in the way so I just plucked it. The result was immediate relaxation. The next time I got an eyelash I just plucked it before I got stressed. Then I started plucking em when I was bored. Then puberty came and I got the same obsession with ance. That was a long one, then it went to these weird gland things in my mouth for a little bit, then it started on my beard which is by far the worst. It doesn't hurt anymore, but the moment it itches, fuck everything.
It's not an urgent anymore it's like scratching an itch. It's automatic. I can't control it undless I have gloves or wrist braces for the carpal tunnel doing this gave me.
Aargh ive had carpal tunnel to the point i had a brace on my WoW arm (though probably not as severe as yours). I have ADD too and scratch my scalp to where it bleeds when I'm nervous. Oops now im making it bout me lol. I actually just wanted to thank you taking the time to write up this detailed comment. So thanks!