Health & Medicine
Stop Nail Biting
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How to stop biting your nails
Nail-biting is the habit of biting or chewing your own finger or toe nails. It's medical name is chronic onychophagia.
Nail-biting can be a difficult habit to break and it can affect people of all age groups. About half of all children and teenagers between the ages of 9 and 18 bite their nails, and almost everyone stops nail biting by the time they reach their thirties.
Nail-biting can cause an increased risk of infection to your nail beds and can also cause problems with your teeth and gums. Because you have your fingers in your mouth a lot more than people who don't bite their nails you are also more susceptible to picking up contact-borne bacteria.
However, the main reason most people want to stop biting their nails is appearance. Nail-biting can deform and disfigure your nails leaving them looking unsightly.
If you want to stop nail biting please read on...
Why do people bite their nails?
There are a number of reasons why people bite their nails. It may be because they are:-
- Stressed
- Excited
- Nervous
- Bored
- Inactive
Often nail-biting is an unconscious habit - i.e. people don't even realise they are doing it.
Their are two main types of nail-biter. The first type just bite their nails out of habit; it is a way of dealing with stressful situations that acts as a "comfort blanket".
The second type of nail-biter may have an emotional component to their nail-biting and are using it to distract from some internal feeling that they don't like and feel unable to deal with. It could be boredom; fear; guilt; loneliness; anger; sadness; stress or inadequacy.
The good news is that both types of nail-biting can be helped by the following suggestions, although the second type may need some additional help.
- Decide today that you are going to do everything in your power to stop biting your nails. In other words, set your intention and focus on how nice your nails will look when you stop biting them.
- Pretend you have stopped biting your nails for 6 months. Imagine how good they look, how strong you feel to have regained control over your nail-biting. Feels good doesn't it? Do this at least 3-4 times a day. Remember; what the mind expects to happen tends to be realised!
- Keep your nails short and have them manicured regularly.
- Learn to relax by taking up meditation or learn self hypnosis.
- Become aware of when you are biting your nails and keep a nail-biting diary, so that this unconscious behaviour becomes more conscious
- Coat your nails with a bitter substance - you will soon become aware of when you are biting your nails!
- When you notice you are biting your nails, substitute the nail-biting with some other behaviour. This means GOOD behaviour, not smoking or eating sweets!
- Wear gloves! That should slow you down.
- Eat plenty of calcium-rich foods to help your nails repair.
What if the above doesn't work?
Hypnotherapy
Find a well qualified Hypnotherapist and work with them to discharge the emotional component of your nail-biting. You will then be left with only the "habit" part, which can easily be dealt with. Make sure your hypnotherapist is well-qualified, insured and belongs to a certifying body like the NGH (National Guild Of Hypnotists). The only downside to using a Hypnotherapist is cost, as you will require 2-6 sessions and it can work out expensive. If cost is likely to be a problem, try the next method:-
EFT
(Emotional Freedom Technique)- This is an excellent method of self-help that involves "tapping" at certain points on your body whilst focusing on your problem. It is very effective in dealing with addictions of all kind, including weight control and smoking. It is very easily learned and you can do it yourself, although this technique works best with a practitioner.
It's also 100% FREE. You can download the method from the EFT website.
Also at the site are videos and other resources - again all FREE.. I highly recommend that you check this method out, as it will cost you nothing and the chances are that it will help you.
I wish you all the very best in your quest to stop biting your nails. I am sure that if you actually follow the advice above and take some action TODAY, you will be successful.
Good Luck.
Useful Links
- RichardMackenzieDirect.com - Get Your Self Hypnosis MP3 Now!
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krisManuel
What a cool topic! I used to have a problem with that. Still sorta do. 5-stars! If you have time, stop by my first lens - Your Health and Freedom Thanks! Posted November 13, 2007 |
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thetappingman
Great lens on a really annoying problems. Check out this Intro to the Emotional Freedom Technique for more free info about EFT. Posted August 23, 2007 |
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What's here
- Why do people bite their nails?
- What if the above doesn't work?
- Useful Links
- Gary Craig explains EFT
- Great Stuff on Amazon
- More...
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