How to overcome nail biting

[Rob]

How to overcome nail biting
By Hester (Peppermint Tea.♥)

Nail biting is a habit that a lot of people struggle with, from children, to teens, even adults. For some people, nail biting is something that they do when they are stressed. Other people get a feeling of comfort or security from it. Nail biting can cause damage to your fingers and nails. Short-term damage can include sore or bleeding nail beds, hang nails and infections. Although nail biting doesn’t usually cause long-term damage, which is more likely to occur if you bite the skin around your nails, it can be unhygienic and spread germs from your hands to your mouth. This can lead to other illnesses and infections, such as threadworms, where the worm eggs are transferred from underneath your nails to your mouth. In addition to the health risks, nail biting isn’t the most attractive of habits. When nail biting becomes more than a bad habit and gets completely out of control, it is called onychophagia, which is an impulse control disorder.

There are many different things you can do to help yourself overcome nail biting. These methods are all about stopping the process of biting your nails for long enough to break the habit.

Distractions
The cheapest, simplest method is to try and distract yourself. Good distractions are ones which occupy your hands or your mouth. Chewing gum occupies your mouth so that you’re less likely to put your fingers in your mouth. Things like knitting, sewing and threading beads occupy your hands, allow you to express your creativity and give you something positive at the end. Stress balls and other small toys, or even pebbles, can help relieve stress or give a comforting feeling. Experiment with different things, because different distractions work for different people.

Rewards
A reward system works for some people. Create a small goal for yourself, such as not biting your nails during a particular lesson or not biting your nails while you watch a film. Each day, create a goal that either spans over a longer duration of time or is harder for you to achieve. Every time you manage to achieve your goal, make note of it. After a certain number of achieved goals, reward yourself with something nice. You could treat yourself with anything from a relaxing face mask to a new item of clothing (or even some nail polish!). Build up to going full days without biting your nails. Another variation of this would be to see how long you can go without biting your nails, and give yourself a reward based on how many days you manage. Then, if you slip up, you can try and beat your record the next time around.

Discouragement
Most people work best when they are being rewarded, but the opposite of that technique would be something similar to a swear box, where each time you slip up you put a designated amount of money into the box. This is meant to motivate you to not bite your nails. You could either give the money back to yourself if you manage a certain length of time without biting your nails, or you could donate it to charity.

Nail polish
There are also methods of overcoming nail biting which cost a bit of money. Foul-tasting, clear nail polish can be painted onto nails to dissuade nail biting. This can be useful if you bite your nails subconsciously, but it can be expensive ($12 on Amazon) and it can also make finger foods taste unpleasant. It is usually used as a last resort. If the sound of nasty tasting nail polish doesn't suit you, you could also try using ordinary nail polish. If you've spent money on getting a nice manicure or you've spent time painting your nails nicely, you might find it easier to resist the temptation to bite them.

Gloves
Another slightly more extreme option is to wear gloves. This is obviously easier in the winter, and not practical during school, meals, or anything else which requires the use of your hands, because it restricts your movement. It is useful if you find yourself biting your nails at night or while you watch TV, because it stops you from subconsciously putting your fingers in your mouth.

Overcoming nail biting is hard work and it can take a long time, but with motivation and will power, it certainly isn’t impossible. If none of the above techniques are working for you, you can try visiting a psychological professional. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been known to be helpful in treating impulse control disorders. CBT teaches you to find new ways of thinking and behaving when dealing with problems. That being said, many people are able to overcome this problem without therapy.