Anyone else have a nail biting habit?

Question

I’ve had anxiety ever since i was a child and biting my nails has always helped to calm me down??? i’m 18 now and i’ve tried many times to stop but sometimes i do it without even realizing and idk how to stop:(

Answer

I was like that, to the point they were really bad and disgusting, the only way I don’t bite my nails anymore is if I get acrylics on my nails, getting them painted won’t help either, I have to actually have something on my nails so I won’t mess with them, plus you get cute nails!

Answer

Wow i am exactly that same way ! But for the new year resolution im wearing nails to help grow them & stop my habit but who knows how long this will last 😂 i hate my habittttt omg

Answer

I heard that it takes like 21 days or a month to break a habit. As a child I didn't like how often I picked my nose (gross I know 😂) and literally somehow managed to stop picking my nose by doing that. But having anxiety and if that calms you down it's a whole different story to quit that habit because it soothes you.

Answer

Yup! Thanks anxiety...

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For a while I got in the habit of pushing my cuticles or rubbing oil on my nails instead of biting them and that helped me stop for a while until one of my nails broke and I couldn’t stand them not being the same length so I bit the rest off right then.

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I get gel nails. That helps a lot. It makes the nails thick and stops me from biting. I can't even tell you how long it's been since I've bitten my nails. After a while you just stop and not think about it

Answer

i used to bite mine too, and my nails would look so gross. what i’d do to stop is i’d paint them; i started off by doing a nice design so i‘d feel guilty if i bit them and ruined the design that took me so long. then after three days when i’d get an urge to bite them i’d instead peel the polish off with my teeth (gross i know, but it worked and i made sure my hands were clean so i wouldn’t get sick or something) and then repaint a design. i did it like that for a month and then i didn’t have the urge to bite them anymore! went like 4 years w out biting them but my junior year of hs stressed me out so much so i started again :( using the same method and now i think i’m back to not biting! old habits die hard but don’t give up you can do it :)

Answer

I but my nails but ever since I was 5 or so, I started to scratch and tear at my thumbs. It sounds weird but it always calmed me down when I got anxious or scared

Answer

Maybe this will help. I’m not a nail biter, but it immediately made me stop touching my face or mouth or eyes. Years ago when I was in nursing school, they had us put this gel that represented bacteria/viruses on our hands that lit up under a black light. They then had us wash our hands and put it under the light to see if we got it all off. Even when using the hand washing technique of a nurse or doctor, it’s not the easiest to remove all those “germs” ESPECIALLY from under your nails and cuticles. The bacteria left over after hand washing then begins to multiple and multiple again. We touch so much throughout the day and not everyone knows when they’re sick or when an illness is going around to wash their hands often or sneeze in their elbow and not in their hands, etc. This years flu season is especially bad, not that that’s the only illness you can get from putting your nails/fingers in your mouth. Since that day in school, I always always think about the bacteria on my hands. Anyway, I hope that this was in some way helpful? I know you said you do it consciously and unconsciously, but possibly thinking about the nasty bacteria under your nails will help you stop the conscious biting, which may in turn stop the unconscious biting.

Anyone else have a nail biting habit?

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