what the heck is wrong with me???

I do that too. It is a form of tricotillomania (sp?). You have to train yourself. Put a pony tale holder on your wrist. When you feel like picking, snap it. Negative reinforcement for a negative act.

OP
i know its just so hard. half the time i dont even know i'm doing it.

I got a magnifying mirror and I'm always in it picking. I think I do it out of boredom, but I need to cut it out, too!

My DH has this, I had the hair pulling version of this condition. I would go through each strand of hair and pluck out the coarse feeling gray hairs comming in. It can become very bad, and you can get infections and or go bald. I really had to struggle with self control. Try finding something else to do each time you feel the need to pick, and before long you will stop. It IS HARD!

I am the same way and now actually have scars from it...they aren't THAT bad...but I can see them...I have been trying to ignore things that I want to pick, but for some reason can't. So you aren't alone...lol!

I'm right there with you! It started for me back in high school when I experimented with drugs though, which then triggered a psychosis of mine which just enhanced the urge to pick LOL. It's sorta like OCD (for anyone who has the compulsion to pick), you can talk to your doctor about meds for it, or just deal...there are ways of "negative reinforcement" or other ways of "training yourself" but they never worked for me.