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All right, in all seriousness, this habit can legitimately be a crisis for many people. It certainly was for me! I could not remember going a single day without biting or picking at my nails. They were incredibly short, I honestly don’t believe I could have gotten them any shorter. The worst part about it was that I didn’t even know when I was doing it. It’s almost as if I would wake up the next day with shorter nails. I can’t even wrap my head around the fact that my brain has a mind of it’s own. How can it force me to do things like this without me even noticing?
Luckily, I have resolved my nail biting habits... Somewhat. I realize that I started doing it when I was nervous or on edge, or when I was stressed out of angry. I would bite my nails to the tips. I knew I needed to fix this and I started off slowly.
After my grade eight graduation, I saw how pretty the other girl’s nails were and I wanted mine to be the same. I decided I would go one week without biting them. Whenever I had the urge, I would try and chew on a piece of gum or a pen and focus on something else.
The hardest part was identifying the emotion I was feeling when I started biting my nails. Once I realized that, the rest was a piece of cake. I would be more aware of my emotions and I would find other ways of dealing with them (coping methods are different for everyone, find one that works for you).
However, there are other ways to end these habits, such as putting bandages or tape over the nails, but from experience I know that this can be VERY irritating. Especially while trying to accomplish anything that requires the tips of your fingers. Or you could try soaking your nails in a flavor that disgusts you. This will definitely keep those fingers away from your mouth.
Some of you may read this and think that none of this will work for you, which could be very true. Believe it or not, for some people, ending their nail biting habits can be more difficult than quitting smoking¹. Once the habit turns into a problem then new issues can arise. Constant nail biting can lead to infections and may even cause a person to have trouble using their hands. At this point, it is diagnosed as an obsessive compulsive disorder. ¹ This is caused by unreasonable thoughts and fears that lead to repetitive behaviors. ¹ Most nail biters do not get to this point, however it is not uncommon for it to develop into a disorder if you do not identify the reasons behind it or don’t try to stop it. I am hoping this is not the case for my wonderful readers! There are of course many other ways to cope with this bad habit. I personally have tried a lot! If none of this works for you, comment on my blog! We can figure some ways out together. I will even try to post some extra links that could even help you in the future!
One habit down, seven to go.
Stay tuned!
Hello
ReplyDeleteI did not know that mail biting was that common and was that bad. The only time that I bite my nails are when I'm really bored or just to do it when I feel like it. I don't have the problem of nail biting that i have to start to tape my finger tips put I guess that would work but I think that I should stop anyway because it is not good because you put all the bacteria from under your nails in your mouth.
I've have been a nail biter since before the good old grade school days. I think that the worst part about it for me is that it is subconscious. Because I don't realize I'm doing it, it makes it almost impossible for me to stop. It gets quite frustrating when people always nag you to stop when you don't even know you did it in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI've always tried to stop biting my nails but nothing ever seems to work and most of the time I end up just giving up. Mind you, it would be really nice to have nice long nails like other girls I know. I'll have to try out some of the things that you mentioned in this blog and hopefully it works!
ReplyDeleteI agree 100%, Jenna! That's how I felt and still feel sometimes today. I haven't completely gotten over this habit, however it is much more controlled than it used to be. I found that getting my nails done at the salon would motivate me to keep them intact and not chomp down on them. Mainly because I was spending money for someone to make them pretty for me. It is a tricky job trying to get rid of a habit. Good luck!
DeleteI used to bite my nails until they bled. I always did it during a class, when I would get really bored. My grandma used to lecture me forever about how “unlady-like” it was. That’s not why I stopped though. I stopped because I realized that although it entertained me, it got to be painful for my fingers… It took a lot of self-discipline to stop though… and when that didn’t work nail polish did! That stuff tasted like crap!
ReplyDeleteHaha when I was younger I used to bite my nails a lot! My mom bought me that nail polish that tasted awful! That didn't really seem to work though. The thing that got me to stop was when my English teacher from grade 8, Mme Biddle, told me a crazy fact that your nails have the same chemicals as fly poop! I never bit my nails again!
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