©

Shutterstock

Keep your hands busy -

A simple way to avoid touching your face when you're bored, stressed, or excited is to keep your hands otherwise occupied. Why not get yourself a small fidget?

©

Shutterstock

Keep your hands busy -

Stress balls, keychains, and rubber bands are all great options. Identify your triggers—you might tend to touch your face when bored waiting for the bus, for example—and plan accordingly.

©

Shutterstock

Keep your hands busy -

If you have more time and space on your hands, other great distractions include drawing and knitting. With these, there is the added benefit of creating something new!

©

Shutterstock

Sit on your hands -

If you tend to touch your face in situations where it might not be appropriate to whip out a stress ball or fidget spinner, try sitting on your hands instead.

©

Shutterstock

Sit on your hands -

Giving your hand a place to rest that is not your face will help you break the habit. This is particularly true if you tend to touch your face absentmindedly.

©

Shutterstock

Sit on your hands -

If you don’t fancy sitting on your hands (perhaps they go numb easily), try lacing your fingers together and placing them on the table or in your lap instead.

©

Shutterstock

Use visual reminders -

Visual reminders are a great way to break the habit, particularly if you are someone who responds well to visual cues. Why not pretend like you’re studying for a test and break out the sticky notes?

©

Shutterstock

Use visual reminders -

A simple note on your bathroom mirror or car windscreen that reads “no touching” can go a long way to helping you kick the habit.

©

Shutterstock

Use visual reminders -

If you find that you tend to touch your face more at particular times during the day, you could also try setting an alarm to remind yourself not to do it.

©

Shutterstock

Wear gloves -

It is perhaps only an option around the house during summer, but gloves are a great way to make sure it’s physically impossible for your hands to touch your face.

©

Shutterstock

Wear gloves -

If you tend to sleep on your hands, you could wear them at night too. Always make sure to wash them regularly, however, since a dirty glove is just as bad as a hand on your face.

©

Shutterstock

Wear gloves -

You should also try to wear 100% cotton gloves if possible, since wool is likely to irritate your skin (if you should try to touch your face at some point).

©

Shutterstock

Recruit helpers -

Asking a close friend or family member to call you out when you touch your face can be a great way to stop doing it. Try to choose someone you spend plenty of time with.

©

Shutterstock

Recruit helpers -

You can simply ask the person you choose to act as a sort of lookout, who should tell you off (lightly!) whenever they see you touching your face.

©

Shutterstock

Recruit helpers -

You might also try a sort of anti-face touching equivalent of a swear jar, i.e. keep a collection jar and tell yourself and your friends that you must put money in it every time you touch your face.

©

Shutterstock

Check in -

If you find yourself lacking motivation to break the habit of touching your face, try to remind yourself of all the good reasons that you should stop doing it.

©

Shutterstock

Check in -

Alternatively you could remind yourself of the damage that constantly touching your face can cause to your skin, particularly if your skin is prone to acne.

©

Shutterstock

Check in -

Touching and picking at your face if you struggle with acne can leave some pretty bad scars. However, if left unpicked most acne breakouts will not cause scars.

©

Shutterstock

Meditate -

Lots of people tend to touch their face when anxious or worried. If that is you, why not try some mindfulness meditation to relax your mind and help you resist the urge?

©

Shutterstock

Meditate -

Meditation has been proven effective at helping people manage their emotions and resist the urge for body-focused repetitive behaviors, such as touching the face.

©

Shutterstock

Meditate -

If you are new to mindfulness meditation, there are great online videos out there. You could also try downloading and following an app like Headspace or Mindshift.

©

Shutterstock

Keep tissues handy -

Of course, there are instances where it is absolutely necessary to touch your face, such as when you need to scratch an itch, sneeze, or adjust your glasses.

©

Shutterstock

Keep tissues handy -

To avoid transferring bacteria to your face when doing these things, use a tissue instead of your hand to make direct contact. Try to keep a box of tissues handy wherever possible.

©

Shutterstock

Keep tissues handy -

If you really need to sneeze and there are no tissues nearby, sneeze into your elbow rather than your hand.

©

Shutterstock

Keep your nails short -

So there you have some tips to help you resist the face-touching urge. Now for some advice on how to minimize damage to your skin if you really cannot break the habit.

©

Shutterstock

Keep your nails short -

Firstly, it’s important to keep your fingernails short and clean. It might help you to remind yourself that hands are one of the dirtiest parts of the human body!

©

Shutterstock

Wash your hands -

This one perhaps goes without saying, but if you really must touch your face, it is vital that you keep your hands as clean as possible by washing them regularly.

©

Shutterstock

Wash your hands -

Washing your hands for at least 30 seconds with warm and soapy water will help you avoid developing acne if you really can’t break the face-touching habit.

©

Shutterstock

Seek help -

If you find that you pick your face incessantly and are causing visible damage to your skin, it may be that you suffer from skin picking disorder (SPD).

©

Shutterstock

Seek help -

This is a recognized condition that is not dissimilar to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). If you suspect that you may be suffering from it, do not hesitate to seek professional help.

Sources: (WikiHow) (Healthline) (The New York Times)

See also: Sleep habits from around the world

©

Shutterstock