The Patient's Voice

I have been struggling with acne ever since I was 14 years old. And to be honest, I always listen to what other people say when it comes to treating the nasty bumps in my face. I engage with these “let’s try it” moments where I do not spend more time validating and figuring out if the product of the procedure is legit. As long as people tell me that it works for them, I immediately dive in.

But since most of these suggestions do not work, I came to seek professional help. I told my skin therapist what I had done so far with my face, and I get that she has tons of reasons to feel upset about those actions. More importantly, I was surprised to know that certain things I thought are effective and assumed good for my face but just are not.

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Bar Soap

The thing with daily skincare is that most people worldwide are used to using bar soap as their facial cleanser. I entirely do not have anything against it because, like others, I also used some of those from cheap to expensive ones. But after reaching out to a skincare expert, I realized that I have been taking care of my facial skin the wrong way this entire time. Bar soap, as convenient as it can be, causes too much damage to the face. That is because it contains a lathering substance called sodium lauryl sulfate that dries out the skin. Admittedly, I love slathering my face because it feels so good. Unfortunately, that lathering causes the facial skin tissue to break apart. It does not provide the same microdermabrasion benefits essential to facial skin needs.

Body Moisturizers Or Lotions

I admit that I have tried putting body moisturizers on my face because I thought there was no difference to the effect whatsoever. And since it is still skin, I thought that body moisturizers or lotion could target my facial needs. But from the word itself, skin moisturizers are good for skin, but not for the face. The skin expert explains that the formula created for the benefit of the skin is not designed for the face. She said that almost all body moisturizers clog pores. That is because these products are usually a lot thicker and, in general, contain fragrances that irritate the more gentle and delicate facial skin. Now, going back to using it, I may have caused my facial acne more damage than I can imagine.

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Rubbing Alcohol

I know how this might affect facial skin, so I entirely believe this to be true. And now that I have consulted with a skin expert, I have learned the in-depth reasons why I shouldn’t consider doing it in any way. Sadly, I like the cooling effect alcohol gives to my face, but the skin expert said that alcohol is harmful as it rubs off the natural oil in the face. And when the facial skin realizes that it does not have oil anymore, it produces more oil in response. That explains why when I put alcohol on my face, my acne tends to multiply. So with that, I guess I have enough reason to listen to my skin therapist to stay away from rubbing alcohol.

Petroleum Jelly

Now this one is slightly interesting. I have been using petroleum jelly on my face as part of the home remedies for acne, especially because I have known it to moisturize my face. It has been known to improve skin hydration. In some instances, I put it on my lips to smoothens them and sometimes put it in some of the pimples in my face. But my skin therapist suggests that I should stop doing that because petroleum jelly potentially clogs pores. And she said that perhaps that is one of the reasons I still struggle with a lot of acne because I frequently use them. The skin expert told me that it causes skin breakouts, so she does not entirely recommend that. My therapist said I should consider going for natural ones made from beeswax instead of petroleum.

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Semen

Now this one’s a bit controversial. Of course, just imagine how taboo this one could be? I wouldn’t want to dig into people’s acceptable nor unacceptable opinions about this, but I know for sure some few individuals are into this. I know because some people already advised me to get on with it. Fortunately, I don’t see the significance. Good thing my skin therapist shares the same sentiment with me. She said that semen is ineffective in treating acne, contrary to some beliefs that it removes those nasty bumps for less than two to three days. Of course, for the sake of trying almost anything, I would want to know if that’s true. However, I still have that benefit of the doubt that made me forget about doing it.

Sometimes, it is easy for us to know when we are sad and lonely. We know when we want other people’s company. Perhaps that’s because we deal with life’s uncertainness and that we require immediate help. But these are the only things we know. We sometimes forget the truth that we need something more than just a companion’s presence. We want something more that gets into the emotional requirements.

We understand our desire for emotional needs. It is all about happiness, satisfaction, and fulfillment from sincere appreciation, safety, and accomplishments. It’s what we get from being part of something that promotes respect and importance. However, there’s an emotional need that seems too complicated to address. It is what most of us do not know. And understand – an emotional hunger.

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What Is Emotional Hunger?

Emotional hunger is a strong need for affection that usually originates in negative childhood experiences. It is a condition where an individual becomes dependent on something or someone to make them feel meaningful. In some instances, emotional hunger is often mistaken as the desire for love. Unfortunately, it holds a negative effect as it drains the person directed towards the other and leaves them empty.

Emotional hunger is always a bad thing because it usually starts with desperation and promotes self-harm and suicidal thoughts. But of course, it’s not a limited case, and everyone can get caught in a situation where the emotional desires flare up. But with only an intention of getting too much affection, we sometimes believe it to be a valid reason for love. Thus, it is fundamental that we understand the difference between emotional hunger and the latter.

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Signs Of Emotional Hunger

Constantly Seeking Others’ Approval – It is somehow a habit of most of us to jump to conclusions about what people think of us. We always have this sense of eagerness to know how others view us as friends, colleagues, family members, and significant others. We seek approval for every action we make and somehow adapt to what others want us to become. This type of mentality can cause stress. Sadly, despite knowing how it negatively impacts us, we still choose to continue with the habit.

Depending On Social Status – Emotional hunger can be too exhausting to handle as it makes us feel that there’s a need to comply with social status. Meaning, we believe that the more friends we have, the more we can keep our mental and emotional state at bay. But that is regardless of people’s value and contribution to our overall well-being. The lower self-esteem caused by emotional hunger can make us dive more into seeking validation and comfort, regardless of not being genuine.

Becoming Overly Clingy – We enjoy love and affection because that’s part of our nature. However, being overly clingy is a different story. It is like giving up ourselves too much that we disregard the negative impact of our desire for too much attention and comfort. We become clingy because we believe that it is the best thing to secure our relationship with others. We think that’s love. We do not care if we get drained up to the extent that we can no longer stand by ourselves.

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Not Having Or Setting Boundaries – Most counseling experts would agree that struggling to have boundaries is a sign of emotional hunger. The more we want others to become part of our lives, the lesser we respect our personal space. We believe that when we set up a barrier, people will automatically leave us for not being too open about everything. We worry too much that we might push people away. We do not try and appreciate the importance of alone time with ourselves because there’s the fear that we might end up liking it eventually.

Giving The Hundred Percent Of Everything – Sometimes, it is easy to give up and sacrifice everything because we believe that is the right thing to do to make others want and appreciate us. We risk our own needs to ensure our relationship with others. We give so much of ourselves that we forget to keep a portion to secure our overall health. We always make time and do favors for others despite trying so hard to be there for ourselves. We always give what people want despite the damages it causes us.

Working With Temporary Solutions – It is hard to identify emotional needs. But sometimes, we still feel not okay. That is why we often engage in temporary solutions like taking drugs and binge drinking. But for the most part, we tend to rely on physical intimacy or casual sex. We do it because of our desire to numb the pain we feel inside. We avoid important emotions by engaging in thrilling sensations. We trick ourselves by thinking that physical connections can provide emotional validation.