“My Skin Broke out! My Life is Over!”

Actually, Nothing’s Changed.

Now, before I begin, I need to just say that there is nothing wrong with wanting to improve your skin. The fact of the matter is though, that even people with “good” skin get breakouts every now and then. Believe me, I have been there. During high school, I had acne that made me feel so bad about myself that I would wear a hood and a hat to cover my face, I would avoid going to any social events, and I wouldn’t look people in the eye when I spoke to them. I have been on both sides of this struggle. Stay tuned for my article about how to have great skin though. In the meantime though, this article is about that terrible feeling of waking up in the morning and seeing a new breakout on your face. I am here to help you rethink these harsh times and conquer them.

Don’t Touch it!

Let’s start on the biological side of things. It is always a bad idea to touch or squeeze acne because it will infect the area, temporarily cause it to be more inflamed and noticeable, and it will increase the chances for prolonged scarring to occur. So, what do you do? Nothing. That’s right, nothing. When I get a breakout, I leave it alone and the healing process becomes quicker and less painful as a result. You can always dab some tea tree oil on the spot or use an alcohol pad, but never ever touch the area.

Think about it like this, when you squeeze the area or touch it, you’re acting on your impulse and hate towards the spot on your face because you want it to go away. The act of squeezing the area comforts your mind because you think you have gotten one step closer to getting rid of that oh so dreaded breakout. In reality though, you took 1 or 2 steps back! You need to ignore your impulse and trust that it will go away a lot smoother on its own.

A mental strategy I use to get through days where I have breakouts is that I challenge myself to simply get through the day, because I know that every morning the spot will progressively heal. This way, I will comfort my mind and avoid touching the area because I know I am doing the right thing. I’ll say something to myself like “can I make it through today?” When you say something like that to yourself, you start to have one of those “are you kidding me?” moments. You can still do everything you love. You can still see your friends. You still have rights and freedom. You start to realize that it’s just a breakout and that you will obviously be fine. In other words, it's all in your head.

What are You Even Afraid of, Anyway?

Are you afraid that people won’t like you anymore because you have a breakout? Are you afraid that your date or your partner is not going to treat you the same? That’s all a bunch of nonsense, but these are truly relatable feelings that I have felt, so don’t worry. The reality is though, (and i’m going to keep this short and sweet) these fears are completely irrational. Now, if for some reason, someone dumped you because you had acne, or people treated you differently, then you don’t want those people in your life anyway! Good riddance! That’s the bright side of this whole thing, it shows you who’s shallow and who your true friends are.

You’re Being too Hard on Yourself!

Everybody say it with me, you are your harshest critic. I know when you wake up in the morning, you see that spot because you examine yourself so closely and critically in the mirror. Even when you look at yourself as a whole in the mirror after, you narrow your vision in on that spot on your face, and it becomes a lot bigger and worse than it actually is. It’s all you can see and all you can think about. It’s huge. It’s eating you alive. I can’t leave the house like this. Maybe I’ll call in sick or cancel. STOP! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! When people see you throughout the day or converse with you, they look at your face as a whole and are mostly making eye contact with you, so the chances are, they didn’t even notice your breakout! When you walk by people in public and quickly make eye contact, they notice even less (especially because they’re always on that damn phone). So, keep this in mind. No one is going to zoom in on your face like you do, because that is just creepy.

You’re Striving for Perfection, and That is Really not Healthy.

Stop thinking Instagram is real life and how people really look. We all know there’s tons of apps and whatnot like facetune to make yourself look better. The people who post pics of their glowing skin also only do so on days when their skin is at its peak quality. I know this because that is when I have done this, on those really good days. Its all about showing off the highlights and the best of the best, so, don’t ever forget that.

You’re setting yourself up for failure and sadness if you want to have absolutely no breakouts ever. It’s an unrealistic and idiotic thing to have faith in. They will occur, and there is nothing you can do. Instead, make it your goal for example, to have 5 spots or less on your face, because this is more realistic and achievable. This way, you will be much happier overall a lot of the time. Your personal goal is relative to you though, just make sure it is realistic and it truly makes you happy!

These Times will Make you More Grateful

I mean grateful for the times when you actually had better skin and took it for granted. These harsh times will make you that much more grateful and happy on the days where you wake up and you like how your skin looks.

P.S. everyone that loved you before still loves you. Nothing has changed. You still have your hobbies and passions. You can still walk. Yous still have running water, food and a family that loves you. You still live have a place to live. It's just a stupid spot! Smile!