Stop Your Nailbiting!

Nail biting is a habit, pure and simple, derived usually out of nervousness, boredom, or an overblown oral fixation. And it is extremely unattractive, especially if you short little breakfast sausages for fingers like I do.

I know good hand grooming is usually driven towards women, but you nail-biting guys could benefit, also. needless to say most of the men out there aren't going to go for full-blown manicure, but there's nothing wrong w/ keeping nicely trimmed finger nails without the hangnails. Also, if you have kids, your kids could learn nail biting from either parent...not just mom!

Similar to quitting smoking and kicking your sugar habit, you'll want to want to quit and be ready for it. Now biting your nails is not nearly as physically destructive as smoking or being a sugar addict, but it is a comfort. And when you stop biting your nails, you don't want to compensate for one nervous habit w/ another nervous habit. This is where EFT may come in handy, to reduce anxiety and nervousness.

Step 1
Polish your nails, either with a colored nail color or a clear coat. This goes for men & women alike. Girls, pick out your favorite color, regardless if it matches what you normally wear. For this first step, you want it to be fun. And you may get discouraged when you see how much more attention grabbing your hands are, but it's all part of the healing process.

Step 2
Each morning (or evening) after you get dressed for the day, apply one coat of a nail strengthening solution. Sally Hansen, OPI, and Quimica Alemana all make great nail strengtheners ranging in price from 4 - 8 dollars. Sally Hansen is great if your fingernails will grow out long and already be strong. But mine grow out long and are extremely weak, so I go for Quimica Alemana Nail Hardener because it strengthens my nails without forcing them to grow super long in a short period of time.

Step 3
Keep a nail file on you at all times! And keep them in various places around where you live, what you drive, what purse or briefcase or backpack you carry. This step is crucial in stopping biting your nails. After about a week or two, you'll notice that your nails are starting to grow a little bit, but they're going to be rough and jagged and oh-so-tempting to nibble on. As soon as you see yourself wanting to put a finger in your mouth, whip out your handy little nail file and GENTLY file down that tasty little ragged edge. I would also recommend filing down your nails at least every two weeks so they don't get crazy long and brittle.

Step 4
Keep re-applying nail polish as necessary and no picking it off! Remember the introduction? No replacing one bad habit with another!

Step 5
After about 2-3 months, go and get a professional manicure. Guys, there are plenty of "manly men" who get their nails taken care of. At this point you can get away with just getting them buffed, as you should pretty much be done w/ the nail biting

Maintenance
Your nails will break, chip, split, etc. It will be up to you to maintain a self-awareness to not slip back into the habit. I know some of us have bitten their nails for DECADES and it takes a bit of inner grit to break addictive habits, but you can do it!

I've been biting my nails for as long as I could chew. And I HATED the way my hands would look. I had to get fake nails for my wedding just so my hands wouldn't look like something out of a cartoon! And it took a while after my wedding to keep my fingers out of my mouth. For a long time I was obsessed with growing my nails long, but they would always break, then i'd start nibbling, telling myself I'll only nibble on my pinky finger, but then there was nothing left to chew and, well, there went the next finger. And the vicious cycle began again.

These days, I keep nice, neat fingernails, that are about even w/ the tips of my fingers. If you fall off the wagon, it's okay, just grab that nail file and smooth away the rough spots. Your old habit will eventually fizzle up and go away!