One thing that we have heard over and over again in this age of pandemic (I never thought I'd type THOSE words) is to keep your hands off your face. I cannot keep my hands off my face.
I'm not even sure how, after a lifetime of face touching, I should even start. When I think, my hand is on my face. When I rest, my face rests in my hand. When I stretch, my hands are on my head (but I guess that really doesn't count as being on my face). When I laugh, my hand is over my mouth. When I am shocked, same thing. My hands LOVE my face. They want to constantly be near my face.
To assist, I googled "How to keep your hands off your face". WOW! Jackpot! Here are some suggestions from experts:
Don't ignore the urge. A mantra is not going to change behavior. Recognize that your hands are completely in love with your face.
Keep your hands busy. Touch something else. As I type this, I am not tempted to touch my face because my fingers are busy bees, zipping across the keyboard.
Use a barrier between your face and hands. Slathering Vaseline over my hands would probably stop me from touching my face. But gross. Picking up a tissue after I have thoroughly washed my hands for 25 seconds and placing it on my face to keep them from actually touching is a remedy. Not. The article didn't say this, but I guess I could tape little razors to my fingers to keep me from touching, a la Edward Scissorhands. Dog cone of shame would also work. This recommendation is just inane.
Choose a competing behavior. My hands need a friend, and that friend is currently my face. What if I get them a new friend? Like a stress ball, silly putty, or something like that.
The article may be on to something here! This last suggestion actually makes sense in a very practical way. As a matter of fact, I found a t-shirt online that supports face-touching addicts like me! I can think of several things to otherwise touch that doesn't include my face, but makes me just as happy (get your minds out of the gutter, pervs!). A drink in both hands just may be the answer I was looking to find.
Success!
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