Nail Biting

[CaliMike]

Did a couple of searches with no results...

Anyhow, I have a bad habit of biting my nails. I've tried many different "cure-all" pre-packaged solutions without luck.

Has anyone successfully stopped biting their nails. I don't do it only when I'm stressed or bored... I seem to do it all the time and it freaking sickens me (and looks like Shyt, too)...

Any tips/suggestions?

 

[JohnnyVegas]

Pick at your earwax constantly. That flavor isn't so tasty.

 

[livin large]

I quit a few years ago. Everytime you catch yourself biting your nails, slap that hand (seriously). Get mad at yourself. Call yourself names. If you're in school or something, do something less obvious like pinch the finger you were biting.

You have to train yourself just like you would train a dog that's biting the furniture - catch him in the act and punish him.

It's not an easy habit to break, but if you really want to quit you can.

 

[CaliMike]

Originally posted by livin large
I quit a few years ago. Everytime you catch yourself biting your nails, slap that hand (seriously). Get mad at yourself. Call yourself names. If you're in school or something, do something less obvious like pinch the finger you were biting.

You have to train yourself just like you would train a dog that's biting the furniture - catch him in the act and punish him.

It's not an easy habit to break, but if you really want to quit you can.

Thanks... gonna give that a try... Part of my problem is that sometimes I don't even notice I'm doing it...

 

[Ofus]

Put a rubber band around your wrist. Every time you catch yourself biting your nails, stop and (lightly) snap the rubber band. The point isn't to hurt yourself a lot, just to remind you not to do it. It works!

 

[CaliMike]

Originally posted by Ofus
Put a rubber band around your wrist. Every time you catch yourself biting your nails, stop and (lightly) snap the rubber band. The point isn't to hurt yourself a lot, just to remind you not to do it. It works!

thanks.... im determined... i think im going to combine both of these last suggestions =)

 

[DJ Fedorov]

I used to bite my nails then I read about all the germs that ae in there even after you wash your hands, I use a nail filer (emmery board) to keep them pretty short now so if they're short then chances are you'll have a hard time biting them.

 

[CaliMike]

This rubber band / pinching combination is working pretty well... Caught myself several times today starting to bite then I get pissed at myself... if no one is around, I yell at myself (haha.. its awkward)... then inflict minor amounts of pain... hopefully this plan will break this awful habit... Thanks fellas

 

[Zircon]

I'll try the same- have the same problem.

One suggestion, after 1-2 weeks start cutting your nails regularly. A couple of times I nearly quit, and becuase I hadn't bothered to cut them, they grew to long and I succumbed to the temptation of cheiwing them off (mmmmm )

 

[Milhouse Van Houten]

I had been biting nails for about 10 years, this is how I managed to quit.

my teeth was having problem at the time, gum bleed, decayed teeth, and I was working full time just to earn my dental insurance.

so the last thing I would want was to straighting my somewhat uneven tooth with extra money. ( at the time, I thought nail biting would contribute to uneven my teeth, eventho, I knew it had nothign to do with it.)


so my way of quiting was the stress of full time job and fear of spending $.