Hi there. I'm a 22 year old female, and have been dealing with acne since around the age of 13. I posted in this topic before, as I was going through a crisis (that happens quite frequently) about my face, its scars, how I think I'm ugly and self-conscious, etc. Since then, and thanks to everyone's helpful comments, I have devised a logical approach to dealing with an "acne crisis" (which I define as: a period of anxiety related to your acne/appearance, with heightened feelings of self-consciousness, guilt, and anger). It is thanks to one commenter, who said that "worrying about acne is rational" (to my original post, saying that it is NOT). I think approaching emotional problems in a rational way is extremely helpful:
Acne crisis step 1: Ask yourself, "What has worrying about acne given me [all these years]? As humans are pleasure seekers, we often scope out pleasurable activities, and ditch behaviours that do not add to that pleasure (e.g. we seek out naps, Netflix, but tend to avoid activities that make us feel bad, such as excessive drinking, all-nighters, etc... addictions are a whole other story). So, the act ofworryingorobsessingover your acne has, almost certainly, not benefitted you in any sort of way. If anything, it makes you feel depressed, worse about yourself, and wastes precious time when you could be doing something else. Think back to all those times you obsessed over your acne: was it a productive worry? Meaning, did yougainanything from it? No. You lost time and self-confidence. Hence, worrying about acne is an unproductive worry, not contributing to our success in life, and should be ditched.
Acne crisis step 2: Ask yourself, "What else can I be doing right now [rather than, say, staring in the mirror and crying]? Think of all the fun things you have done in your life, despite having acne. Let's say, you have gone to school, gotten a job, made friends. Think about your personal talents. Think about all the things you could be doing that could benefit you at the moment, and they don't have to be anything deep (e.g. I could be eating breakfast now, or I could be chatting with my friends right now). Thinkrationallyof the time you have wasted worrying about your face, and look back to step 1: has it brought you anything positive? No. Keep reminding yourself that.
Acne crisis step 3: Focus on all of your attractive qualities. These can be physical. When I get down in the dumps, instead of focusing on the scars on my cheeks, I look at my eyes, and think they're so blue and nice, and I immediately lose sight of my cheeks. Humans are horrible at multitasking. It is almost impossible to say to yourself "My eyes are so beautiful" while looking at your eyes, and still be angry at your acne at the same time. When I was in an acne crisis, I often ran to my mom, crying, saying "look how bad my skin has gotten!" My mom genuinely didn't notice a change, and she said "it only seems bad to you because you focus on it too much. Other people do not." So, look at yourself from another person's perspective. Other people do not analyze and count your pimples. They look at your face AS A WHOLE. You should, too.
Acne crisis step 4: Last but not least, tell yourself this crucial fact that many of us tend to forget: Acne is NOT your fault! Sure, wearing some makeup can make it worse, and perhaps (though there is no solid evidence for this) eating some foods can make you break out more than others. But if you have moderate to severe acne, it is almost definitely a genetic symptom. Remind yourself, you are doing what you can to fix it. You see a dermatologist, use creams, whatever. The fact that this ONE (or more) new pimple broke out today is NOT you fault, and there was nothing you could do about it. Thinkrationally!This break out/scarring or whatever was going to happen regardless: it is because of your genetics, the oiliness of your skin, or another condition that you cannot control. LET GO. Let nature and medicines do the work for you. Your work is done. Sit back, relax. Some days will be better, some will be worse, but always go back to step 1: what do you gain from worrying?
