Your problem has a name, it is called onychophagia. It usually starts in childhood and it can last a long time, sometimes for ever. It affect children who are a little stressed, then when they grow up, they return to the behavior of nail biting every time stress shows up, it is like a reflex. The proof is that you probably don’t even realize that you are doing it.

So let’s stop biting nails

What is your motivation for stopping this behavior?

The first thing to do is to motivate and convince yourself that you should stop this nail biting.
Tell yourself that others see this as a little weird behavior for an adult. Furthermore it identifies you as someone who lacks self-confidence. It is not sexy! To have beautiful hands might boost your self-esteem and impress others.

But finding the right way to do it is not easy. Here are a few tips that do work… You don’t need them all but if you have tried some that did not work don’t give up another tip might be the right one for you.

Bitter polish, it is like a regular nail polish but it has really bad taste.

Acrylic nails, if you put on fake nails yours are hidden underneath and you can no longer bite them. (this is tip is not a good one for boys or men)

Do you always bite the same fingernail? put a bandaid on it!

The chewing gum trick: having something in your mouth can keep you from putting your fingers in it. And chewing gum can be a stress reliever.

Take some small item to play with, a rubber band or a paper clip. It will keep your fingers busy and you won’t be chewing them

And to keep from returning to the bad habit!

Think about your motivation, sounds dumb but to remember why you decided to embark on this behavior modification will help you stay with it.

Ask for help! Why not engage a friend in your fight? Ask him/her to watch you during the day. It will be a bit annoying to you, but it does work.

Understand that is your stress level goes up and down frequently and for little things, it is not very normal. Look into the source of stress and try to figure out why you react this way.

Remember that biting your nails can have bad results for your health. It can even be painful at times, you can get infectious diseases this way and have to take antibiotics.

Tagged as: damaged nails, nail care