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Sevikins

Sevikins

Refugee
Joined
Aug 17, 2002
Messages
2,296
Location
NIMCO, where the dead buses go.
I have no idea... of the title. I guess it sounds better than "I bite my nails" lol.

Anyway, I've had a horrible nail bitting habit. I'm a bit ashamed of doing it really, everytime I see myself holding a pole on the subway/bus, I imagine what other people may think of me. I try not to bite my nails, but I just succumb to temptation and I end up chewing up a finger or two... or three. I do it when I'm not even aware of it, until I did. It's just terrible. I don't know really what to say.

I've tried everything from the pepper trick in clear nail polish, to more clear nail polish, to even good ol' fashioned willpower. Nothing's worked. My boyfriend did try to help me by reprimanding me everytime I had a finger remotely close to my mouth or face, it's worked for a good few months but then it just didn't.

Did anyone else ever had to fight this? Are there any good foolproof ways to rid one of such a disgusting habit?
 
I developed a fear of germs to get myself to stop. Every time I would catch myself, I'd think of all the things I was potentially putting in my mouth. Now I'm stuck with a fear of germs and I'm somewhat of a hypochondriac. Not sure which is worse.

If you'd rather not develop an obsession with disinfectants and cleanliness as a replacement, something else that helps is getting a manicure. Have them trim your nails as close as they can. Paying to have your nails look nice gives you a little more incentive to stop biting at them.
 
manicure :up:

an even more sure way would be to get acrylic nails there is no way to chew those really, I don't think :slant:


if you had them for a few months i'd bet you're habit may be gone.
 
last year I posted a thread about the same problem... I can't stop bitting my nails, and, as you, I feel ashamed of how my hands look. I've tried everything, but nothing has worked... the idea of the manicure is good, but my nails are too short that simply there's no place to a manicure :(.
 
I used to have a horrible nail biting problem when I was younger. Just couldn't resist the urge to chew them down to nothing. Eventually I tried to just stop and at first it didn't work. But kept giving it a try though it was hard and eventually my nails started growing longer. Won't lie sometimes when Im upset or nervous I find myself chewing on my nails which I know I shouldn't do. It's really a hard habit to break so you aren't alone with all of this. Hope you are able to overcome your problem :hug:
 
^thanks Bonosbaby (and to all of the previous posters as well :)), I find that when I watch something that makes me nervous like a drama or an action movie, I chew even more...

I have somewhat progressed, my left hand's all chewed up, but my right hand is decent enough. I think it's because I use the right hand for holding the mouse, so it's immune from the chompings when I'm clicking away. Lol. Too bad we can't use two mice on a pc.
 
When I get bored (like reading a dry textbook) I tend to unconciously start fiddling with them, and eventually biting them.
Having something you can fiddle with helps (stress ball, whatever). And basically, put something horrid tasting on your fingers and you'll stop pretty darn quick..soap, whatever works. Also, having you nails done (even if you just do them yourself) seems to deter one from biting them. No idea why :shrug:

Good luck! It's a heck of a habit to break.

On the bright side, there are far worse things.....at least you aren't picking your nose :wink:
 
Sevikins said:
I have no idea... of the title. I guess it sounds better than "I bite my nails" lol.

Anyway, I've had a horrible nail bitting habit. I'm a bit ashamed of doing it really, everytime I see myself holding a pole on the subway/bus, I imagine what other people may think of me. I try not to bite my nails, but I just succumb to temptation and I end up chewing up a finger or two... or three. I do it when I'm not even aware of it, until I did. It's just terrible. I don't know really what to say.

I've tried everything from the pepper trick in clear nail polish, to more clear nail polish, to even good ol' fashioned willpower. Nothing's worked. My boyfriend did try to help me by reprimanding me everytime I had a finger remotely close to my mouth or face, it's worked for a good few months but then it just didn't.

Did anyone else ever had to fight this? Are there any good foolproof ways to rid one of such a disgusting habit?
Click to expand...

Every time you look at your hands on the subway pole, think of what germs are now crawling over your hand and try and use that as a deterrant. I used to bite very badly. I bit til they hurt and sometimes got injured. One nail I bit halfway down the nail bed once, and it was my index finger so not only did it hurt, but everyone noticed - or so I convinced myself. I dont know why I did the biting. I'm sure it was some form of anxiety outlet/symptom. I also twirl my hair. I fidget a lot. I'm really annoying. Anyway, one day a couple of years ago I just stopped the biting. All of a sudden and without warning. I wish I knew why so I might be able to pass it on to you, but I have no idea. I'm very grateful though. It only took a little while for my nails to get great strength, colour, and shape. Now I take a too highly vain approach to my nails but I reckon I/they deserve it for all the awful abuse I gave them for nearly all my life. Your nail beds can recover, too, if you've damaged them. My nails now leave the bed at nearly the end like everyone else, when for year I thought they'd never recover even if I did stop.

One thing I always did think of trying but never got 'round to was bandaids. Terrible, I know. They get dirty too easily and fall off. But I wondered if I actually found a way to keep my nails covered would my not being able to bite eventually stop my habit? I know that as soon as I realised I didn't bite anymore, I stocked up on good products. Sally Hansen Diamond Strength in the silver bottle was a god-send. I cannot recommend it enough. Then Sally Hansen Fast Grow in the gold bottle also is good. I dont know quite how fast it does help in growth, but it gives a great light gloss coat in the least.
 
Look at your fingers under a high power microscope and you won't want to have them near your mouth for at least a while :yuck:

Then again, I'm an on and off biter even after looking at my fingers in biology lab...so I guess that won't work for long. Lol.

Good luck. It's a really tough habit to kick, especially since you can be doing it and not even realizing it
 
Sally Hansen also sells a silk wrap

it's these little pieces of fabric that you apply with their polish. The fabric stays on your nails and I imagine biting into the fibers a few times would stop and make you think.

It's great for strengthening nails and it's pretty cheap and easy to do. You can cut the little sheets as small as your nails are currently. I bought it years ago to strengthen my nails after having acrylics.

hope they still make it. :hmm:
 
I also used to bite my nails horribly, especially during high school and college. I would rip the top layer of the nail out from the base of the fingernail and all sorts of other horrible things. A manicurist even told me that I might be messing my nails up for life.

Like Ang, I'm not sure what exactly got me to stop. I think the biggest overall factor was making an effort to take care of my nails. Fake nails wreak havoc on your real nails, so I wouldn't recommend those, but I would recommend learning to clip, file, and paint (even a clear coat) on your own nails to make them look nice. After you've put all that effort in, you'll find it a tad easier not to chomp on them.

And here's the number one tip I have... Just last night, my thumb nail had a slight tear in it, and I was very tempted to rip the whole thing off. Instead, I ran for the fingernail clippers and clipped it smoothly. Ragged edges and broken nails drive me crazy and keep me picking at my nails endlessly, so always make sure to clip and file your nails properly. That way, you aren't tempted to keep smoothing them out and tearing them up more with your teeth.

My nails still have a little damage from all the biting I did to them, but for the most part, I get a lot of compliments on my nails when I have them painted. Using bright and unusual colors is fun too, and you're less likely to bite them because you won't want them to chip. Just keep being aware of when and why you bite, and keep telling yourself not to. Take care of your nails, and one day you'll realize that you just don't bite them anymore! :)
 
Good luck! I hope there's a solution in this thread because I chew my nails every day (don't bite, luckily):uhoh:
 
HeartlandGirl said:

And here's the number one tip I have... Just last night, my thumb nail had a slight tear in it, and I was very tempted to rip the whole thing off. Instead, I ran for the fingernail clippers and clipped it smoothly. Ragged edges and broken nails drive me crazy and keep me picking at my nails endlessly, so always make sure to clip and file your nails properly. That way, you aren't tempted to keep smoothing them out and tearing them up more with your teeth.
Click to expand...

I have that same exact problem! I thought I was just anal, but that crap really bothered me. I also keep a pair of clippers near me when temptation strikes. Thing is, sometimes I get uneven clips which aggravates me to no end.

Originally posted by LivLuvAndBootlegMusic
Good luck! I hope there's a solution in this thread because I chew my nails every day (don't bite, luckily)
Click to expand...

I used to do that too, it weakens the nails which makes it even more tempting to chew off. Ugh.

Originally posted by ~BrightestStar~
Now that it's summer time, my nails are nice and long and perdy.
Wait until my first test of the school year...whole different story
Click to expand...

That's what I'm afraid of too! All the stress with handing in papers and tests and all that fun makes me just want to start filing away.

I guess it's all a stress thing. I thought that I could chew stuff to divert the attention from my nails. Tried paperclips actually, but they made me sick. Never heard of nickel poisoning... hopefully I didn't chew *that* much to get it lol. I just had a bad stomache for a day or so. So yeah, paperclips are out (and don't ask, I didn't even know that nickel poisoning existed.)

Nowadays I end up chewing on my lips. Oddly enough I haven't done much to cause enough damage to that yet.
 
so... ok, a lot of you talk about biting your nails when you're just sitting around and fidgeting..

maybe try wearing thin gloves?
obviously since it's summertime (at least in the northern hemisphere) it wouldn't work in public, but at home...
just a thought :shrug:

the jalapeno nail polish worked for me when I sucked my thumb... but that was a long time ago
 
Well I had a whole box of them really. I was young, and nobody really told me the dangers of chewing metals besides having a bad toothache. :reject:

Nowadays I've got hard candy on hand.
 
I've been biting my nails for as long as I can remember, and I just stopped about two months ago when I graduated from high school. It was almost like I flipped an off switch. I guess it must've been the stress! However, if my nails get ragged or too long, I tend to bite them if I don't have a file nearby--so I've taken to having a file with me everywhere! It helps a lot; my nails are especially weak and brittle, so they're always chipping off and looking gross. I clean under them obsessively too with my other nails, and that seems to be a replacement for biting.

Also, having braces makes it a lot more difficult (but not impossible, as I've learned) to bite them properly. :lol:
 
I also have a bad habit of biting my nails and the skin around it. Yes, it's gross. I've tried to stop but it's very hard because I tend to get stressed out really easily.
 
Sevikins said:
Thing is, sometimes I get uneven clips which aggravates me to no end.
Click to expand...

same here; I suck at clipping my nails. this is going to sound terrible but I can sometimes get better clips biting my nails than clipping them :reject: :crazy:

when my nails get too long I really get the urge to chew/bite, so I try to clip them like once a week, or every couple of weeks. I have to keep 'em short anyway cuz of guitar (my left hand anyway).

I guess it's just a fidgety/nervous/boredom thing, I don't know :shrug: i've tried to stop. I haven't stopped completely, but I do it less now, at least.

good luck :)
 
~BrightestStar~ said:


On the bright side, there are far worse things.....at least you aren't picking your nose :wink:
Click to expand...

what if you did both:drool:


:angry:



I bite my nails if I get nervous or frustrated...like in Maine when I drove the wrong way for like 34 miles:mad: ..I now have no nails
 
I've found something good from posting. I haven't chewed my nails in the drastic sense (down to the bed) for the past... week now I think. Anywhoo, somehow when I want to do so, I keep thinking back on this forum and I would be horribly disappointed if I said I relapsed, so that somewhat kept me from chewing.

I don't know if that made much sense though. I'm a bit tired still from a day trip back on Saturday whoo... too much walking for me. :(
 
^That's good news! Sometimes being aware that you're actually doing it and thinking of a reason to stop is half the battle.
 
It's probably your way to counteract nervousness. I have a similar problem - my nails are very thin. They break or tear easily & when that happens -it just bothers me till I rip the tear the rest of the way. I've tried using Revlon (either that or L'Oreal) Firma Nail (it's a clear polish), and somehow it really does make your nails more durable. Am still working on mine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, I think you're definitely right, in that half of the battle is being aware of how you're handling stress/nervousness/boredom & then rethinking your alternatives.
 
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