Ok I admit it, I have onychophagia; a habit of biting my finger nails. I'm one of the 23% of young adults who compulsively put our hands at our mouth and then start to chew off the tips of our nails. It's a decade-old habit that I've decided to stop cold turkey at the end of this semester to avoid being whacked by someone.
What makes me bite my nails? Anxiety is one, and then there's the perception that I can bite my nails way more curvaceous than a stainless steel nail cutter. And then there's the subconscious need to chew on something, something like my subconscious craving to eat Pringles for their crispy potato chip-ness. Anyways here are several tips on how to get rid of this (I don't like the word bad, it's so biased) habit:
I don't practice any of the above, I just used mental discipline. It may have been a great stress-relieving habit, but yeah so far I've stopped biting for a few days already minus several bitings that went on without me noticing.
What makes me bite my nails? Anxiety is one, and then there's the perception that I can bite my nails way more curvaceous than a stainless steel nail cutter. And then there's the subconscious need to chew on something, something like my subconscious craving to eat Pringles for their crispy potato chip-ness. Anyways here are several tips on how to get rid of this (I don't like the word bad, it's so biased) habit:
- Keep your nails trimmed and filed. Taking care of your nails can help reduce your nail-biting habit and encourage you to keep your nails attractive.
- Have a manicure regularly or use nail polish. Men can use a clear polish. Wearing artificial nails may stop you from biting your nails and protect them as they grow out.
- Try stress-management techniques if you bite your nails because you are anxious or stressed.
- Paint a bitter-tasting polish, such as CONTROL-IT or Thum, on your nails. The awful taste will remind you to stop every time you start to bite your nails.
- Try substituting another activity, such as drawing or writing or squeezing a stress ball or Silly Putty, when you find yourself biting your nails. If you keep a record of nail-biting, you will become more aware of the times when you bite your nails and be able to stop the habit.
- Wear gloves, adhesive bandages, or colored stickers whenever possible to remind you not to bite your nails.
- Snap a rubber band on the inside of your wrist when you start to bite your nails so you have a negative physical response to nail-biting.
I don't practice any of the above, I just used mental discipline. It may have been a great stress-relieving habit, but yeah so far I've stopped biting for a few days already minus several bitings that went on without me noticing.
1 comment:
hahaha i got the same habit, but more to suddenly eh~ long edi, wanna 'trim' it haha but usually i go home cut the nail and i stop chiew on it edi till nxt week when i found it long again~~
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