Stop Touching It

Have you ever gotten a bug bite that you can’t stop itching or a scrape that has scabbed over and you can’t stop picking at it? What’s the common advice for making these things feel better?

“Stop touching it!“

And that makes sense. You think, “this is unbearable, I wish it would just heal already. I’d better stop touching it.“

And then it itches again. And again you scratch it. Maybe this time it starts bleeding.

“Oh no, I shouldn’t have scratched it!“

So you learn the lesson and let it heal. It’s so close, you’ve made good progress, when all of a sudden it itches again. Badly. You think, “I can’t itch it!“

But it’s all you can think about. And thinking about it makes it so much worse. And trying not to think about it makes it the thing that occupies your mind.

You summon all the willpower you have! “I WILL NOT SCRATCH IT!” And you go seconds. Minutes. And the urge has passed. You sigh in relief that you were able to push through.

And then you scratch the itch.