nail biting..

Mattplusness

Mattplusness

Well-Known Member
does anyone have any tips or is there any kind of medication or anything, just something to get rid of this wretched habit?

my fingers bleed daily from overbiting and i think nothing of it, but lately i have been noticing how small they are getting and want to stop before i have none left.
 
Hobbes

Hobbes

Well-Known Member
.

I bit nails all my life and dropped it with a simple technique I picked up online:

Get some elastics that fit comfortably around your wrist. As soon as you notice that you are biting your nails or are in the process of bringing your fingers to your mouth snap the elastic on your wrist once and go on with your life. Next time same thing, and so on. I would wager that unless you have some type of obsessive compulsive disorder (rare, you probably don't) you'll kick the habit in less than a week.

The rational is to give us something productive to do as a replacement behaviour as soon as we notice the unwanted behavior. This gives us several things:

1. Stopping a behavior is incredibly hard, but replacing it with another is simple.
2. We become aware of unconscious habits while they are happening.
3. A positive behavior that we feel good for doing after the unwanted behavior - we feel good about ourselves rather than disgusted or pathetic for biting our nails.

Good luck.

bongsmilie
 
robert 14617

robert 14617

Well-Known Member
i bit my nails , my father told me the dirt that gets under your nails could have ring worm , and showed me pictures , i was eight i don't bite finger nails
 
ANC

ANC

Well-Known Member
look for bitter aloe, you'd probably get it form the pharmacy in a nice packaged format... over here the stuff grows everywhere and its very easy to break off a piece and smear the juice over your nails... bitter as hell...
 
four2zerOallday

four2zerOallday

Well-Known Member
an ex girlfriend would apply clear nail polish to my fingers. After about a week I grew tired of the bitter tasting polish, so I quit. I have since dropped the gal and continue to bite my nails. Horrible habit ... GL
 
sarah22

sarah22

Well-Known Member
Hobbes said:
.

I bit nails all my life and dropped it with a simple technique I picked up online:

Get some elastics that fit comfortably around your wrist. As soon as you notice that you are biting your nails or are in the process of bringing your fingers to your mouth snap the elastic on your wrist once and go on with your life. Next time same thing, and so on. I would wager that unless you have some type of obsessive compulsive disorder (rare, you probably don't) you'll kick the habit in less than a week.

The rational is to give us something productive to do as a replacement behaviour as soon as we notice the unwanted behavior. This gives us several things:

1. Stopping a behavior is incredibly hard, but replacing it with another is simple.
2. We become aware of unconscious habits while they are happening.
3. A positive behavior that we feel good for doing after the unwanted behavior - we feel good about ourselves rather than disgusted or pathetic for biting our nails.

Good luck.

bongsmilie
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this is a good idea. a really good piece of advice :) :bigjoint:

i wish i had an idea. i bit my nails my whole entire life until one day when i was around 19, i just decided that i wanted to have longer nails that looked girlie and nice lol. so i just stopped.
 
racerboy71

racerboy71

bud bootlegger
sarah22 said:
this is a good idea. a really good piece of advice :) :bigjoint:

i wish i had an idea. i bit my nails my whole entire life until one day when i was around 19, i just decided that i wanted to have longer nails that looked girlie and nice lol. so i just stopped.
Click to expand...
i was just curious ... after you stopped biting them, did they grow in nice and thick, or are they like thin and frail now that you have stopped? my girl is going through this same thing right now, but i thought that i had heard that after years of biting your nails, when you do finally stop, they don't grow in very well and are much weaker than had you not bit them ever.. thanks...
i just told her about the elastic band trick, that sounds really awesome and a great idea.. can't wait to see if it works..
 
MenaceToSociety6

MenaceToSociety6

Well-Known Member
Get braces, I used to bite my nails all the time. But the brackets on my teeth restrict me from being able to reach my nails and bite them. :)
 
Hobbes

Hobbes

Well-Known Member
.

Combine the two, bad taste is a great negative reinforcement and will speed change of habit. You can also go to the vet or pet store and get some bad tasting spray to keep dogs from chewing stuff if the aloe isn't vile enough. With the rubber band don't expect the snap of the band to stop the habit right away, it takes time. Don't have to snap hard, just so you're aware of the bad habit and have a replacement habit. Don't get upset if you relapse, just snap the band. The band takes responsibility for everything.

.

bongsmilie
 
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