Knowledge is Power

I am hopeful. With my business hopes on the rise, my schooling taken care of and on top of (I'm even taking a business course), my major declared, and some other uncertainties about to be resolved, I feel as though I have come a long way from when I first began this blog. And maybe I only have one or two consistent readers, but that's okay because this blog is mostly just for me to have an outlet.

If more people understood what it was really like to be a Dermatillomaniac, and didn't just assume it was a bad habit (I don't think my family really believes in OCD or Impulse Control Disorders) or me trying to hurt myself ( to be fair, I used to think it was like cutting), maybe I wouldn't have to express myself on a simple web page among billions that most people will never see.

If more people understood, maybe I'd be getting more encouragement from the average Joe/Jane, rather than remarks and questions that put me on the spot. When I try to explain it, many people tell me to go to group therapy or see a doctor. And I've tried both. But no one there understood my issue, even though they offered their condolences.

Dermatillomania is not like Alcoholism or drug abuse in the way that every town has AA meetings or recovery centers for drug abuse nearby. Most people have never even heard of it. Even those who have it don't always know that it's a legitimate "thing", rather than a stupid and embarrassing habit. In fact, it wasn't even a year ago that I myself found out that Compulsive Skin Picking was a real thing that thousands of (if not more) people struggle with. And if I hadn't signed up for an online "Stress Management and Well-Being" course at my university that quarter, I often wonder if I would still be in the dark.

And since finding out that my "issue" is many people's "issue" too, and since I began reading, I've made leaps, bounds, and strides toward becoming healthier.

Because knowledge is power.

Knowledge gives you the power to make a difference, to head in an educated direction, and to better your life.

Peace.