I really wish I didn’t do this to myself because it is so unattractive. But I genuinely can’ stop myself.

For as long as I can remember I have had a compulsive thing where I rip the ends of my nails off. It is painful to do and often causes bleeding.

But the second I notice that a nail is longer than my nail bed I become hyper focused on it until I eventually just start tearing it off with my fingers. Clipping them doesn’t satisfy this obsessive urge, if I clip them then I just end up subconsciously picking at the nail until I get a notch in it and can grip it enough to rip some of it off.

I don’t know how to stop and I’m embarrassed of it honestly.

I haven’t ripped my nails in 3 days and my nails still look like the top layer of nail got peeled off with a just a bit left attached to the nail bed... so you can imagine what it looks like when I first tear one off.

**edit**

If I get fake nails I usually just break them off then slowly chip away everything leftover. The longest acrylic nails have lasted on me was 2 days. I see how long they are and it kicks in the need to rip/tear.