A tip for managing body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) is to replace the normal lightbulbs in your main picking locations, often the bathroom and bedroom, with different-colored lightbulbs. I share this tip, and many others, in the BFRB Guide, but in this short article, I wanted to further the suggestion.
Note: Tips and tricks alone will not rid you of your BFRB. But when applied correctly, they help a lot. That said, they should be part of a comprehensive approach to stop your behaviors, such as the one discussed in the BFRB Guide.
If you're an in-the-mirror face picker, or you hunch over your legs to get at ingrown hairs, for example, this barrier can really help. A barrier literally gets in the way of—or blocks—picking, pulling, or biting. In this case, not being able to see is the barrier, but many other barriers exist. (See the BFRB Guide for more.)
Problem is...most different-colored bulbs today are "smart bulbs." This means you download an app onto your phone from which you can adjust the bulb's color. A single bulb turns many different colors.
This is cool!
But not for dematillomania management.
It's too easy to open the app and brighten the hue if we get the urge to pop, squeeze, or pick.
This doesn't mean the lightbulb trick doesn't work, though. Like all things BFRB management, it just has to be modified till it does.
Here's the new trick, if you're having trouble finding a basic bulb (like I did): get a smart bulb, settle on a color that you like and which protects you from your behavior, and then delete the app.
Now, engaging in your BFRB is not as easy as opening the app. You'll have to open the app store, download the app, input the bulb's unique code...You've made the barrier greater—and that's exactly what we want.
In summary, buy the smart bulb, but delete the app.
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