HOW TO STOP NAIL BITING IN 10 STEPS (QUICK) - ARTE - 2024

In this article I will explain how to stop biting your nails with what has worked for me, since I myself have been with this bad vice for several years. Therefore, I will not be based on theory, but on pure practice and actions that can also serve you.

You may have tried everything to control onychophagia and haven't seen results, but with the right actions you can stop biting your nails. The effort will be worth it, since it is a bad habit, almost an addiction, which can produce unpleasant consequences.

It is a habit that often begins in childhood, sometimes in adolescence, and can continue into adulthood. Regarding sex there is equality. Although women seem more concerned about the aesthetic problem and come for help more than men.

Some surveys show 45% of children during puberty, 25% of college students, and about 10% of adults over 35 years of age compulsively bite their nails.

Why do people bite their nails?

The problem with habits is that you don't realize that you are doing it because it is routine and you are hardly aware of it. You can bite your nails and not be able to avoid it because you are not aware of it. Usually it is anxiety, stress and boredom that causes this habit.

This is a way to relieve anxiety, and frustration or loneliness can act as triggers. On the other hand, it is possible that genetics may play a role.

It can also be the symptom of a psychological condition such as obsessive compulsive disorder and children who have attention deficit, defiant disorder or anxiety are more likely to do so.

Consequences of nail biting

Nail biting can have emotional and physical problems. First, biting nails and cuticles can leave your fingers red and sore. The area around the nails can bleed and can become infected.

Additionally, bacteria and viruses can pass through your fingers into your mouth and make you more vulnerable to infection. It can also lead to weak or misaligned teeth.

Finally, the appearance can be unsightly, which in turn leads to more anxiety and stress. For teens and adults who continue to bite their nails, some techniques have proven effective.

Stop biting your nails step by step: tips and remedies

1-Commitment

If it has taken you many years to try for this bad habit, it is probably because you have not committed enough.

So you have to seriously commit to stop biting them. Some tips: Write down the commitment on a post-it and leave it in a visible place.

Tell people close to you. This usually works very well; If you communicate to other people that you want to quit that habit, your commitment will grow.

2-Leverage

I call leverage to reflect and be aware of the consequences that following this habit will have. Will you still have ugly nails? What negative consequences will it have to continue biting your nails?

This step is important because it will act as a motivation for the critical moments when you feel like putting your fingers in your mouth.

3-Identify moments of "alert"

By moments of alert I mean those in which you are more likely to start biting your nails and it is more difficult for you to stop.

They are usually:

• Stressful situations.
• Boredom situations.

Think then in which situations you are most likely to start doing it. For example: when you sit down to watch TV, when you argue, when you get nervous…

4-focus on the present moment

It is necessary that you realize that you are in a moment of alert, because it is possible that you go through one, you bite your nails and you don't even realize it.

Focusing on the present moment would involve knowing what you are thinking and feeling. You will have the urge to put your hands to your mouth although you will have to avoid it.

In this regard, I recommend mindfulness, a psychological skill with innumerable benefits that will also help you in this task.

5-Stop eating them

By identifying and experiencing the "present moment" you will have taken a big step, because you will be aware of the moment when you are going to bite your nails.

But now, you have to avoid whatever it takes to do it. Actually, I think that here you can use your creativity and you don't have to adjust to what I tell you, but I will tell you what I have informed myself that works and what has worked for me.

If you have another habit to do and to substitute for biting your nails, you will advance much faster.

In my case, it has worked very well for me to learn the belly breathing technique to do it at critical moments. To such an extent that it became a habit. Practicing minfulness and breathing technique made me aware of how I breathe.

Others are:

• If you are sitting, put your hands under your thighs and calm down.
• Get up and talk to someone. We are usually much less likely to bite when people are in front of us.
• Get fixed. If it is very very difficult for you to break this habit, put yourself directly on your fingers. Even if you put your fingers to your teeth, the fixo will be there to avoid biting.
• Clench your fists.
• When you start, think about the image you want to have of yourself.
• Chew gum.
• Go for a run.

Important: you will have to do this at the critical moment, when you perceive that you want to bite yourself.

The important thing here is that what works best is to replace the habit with another. I mean, it's not going to work so well, trying to stop biting you, but doing something completely different instead that stops you from biting.

5-reward yourself

When you've managed to go a day without biting your nails, reward yourself with something that has value to you. You can make a plan like this:

-1 day without biting your nails- reward. For example: going to the movies, eating your favorite food, a gift.

-7 days without biting your nails-reward.

-15 days without biting your nails-reward.

-1 month-reward.

In addition to rewarding that you have managed to go a while without biting yourself, it is good that you reward good habits. If, for example, you go for a run just after the urge to bite your nails comes in, it will be good to give yourself a reward so that this new behavior takes hold.

6-Use reminders

A reminder will allow you to remember your commitment whenever you are close to falling into temptation.

They can be several:

• Paint your nails.
• A bracelet.
• Get fixed.
• A ring.
• Clay…

7-Forget about perfection

From what I have researched, and I know for myself, nail bites are often looking for perfection; they want the nails to be perfectly aligned.

Well, forget about being a perfectionist, you just have to start thinking differently. That is, to think that it is not necessary for everything to be perfect, it does not matter if someone sees your nails imperfect. Even if you start biting yourself, stop, it doesn't matter that your nail is "imperfect."

8-keep progress

Once you have taken the first step and have spent a few days without falling into temptation, you will have to maintain progress and not lose all the way.

Of course you will have to continue practicing all the previous steps, although you can also use methods to see your progress and thus maintain and increase your motivation.

For example, you can take pictures of your nails to be aware of your progress. When you observe them, you will be more motivated because you will think that your effort has been worth it. This is as simple as taking photos of your hands with your smartphone.

9-Work your self-esteem and solve stress

Your results will be magnified if you work on some possible causes of this vice. To improve self-esteem, I recommend you read this article.

10-Other techniques

In addition to the aforementioned, you can use other methods that help you, both to complement and as alternatives:

• Use files: don't even bite your nails to trim them when they're too long. This would be falling back into the bad habit. Instead, when you see that they are long, use a file to trim them.
• Liquids / enamel: in pharmacies they sell liquids that are applied to the nails and that give them a bad taste when biting them. I have not tried it although I have heard that they are effective.