I need help breaking a habit-----------

by Jesika 32 Replies latest jw friends

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  SPAZnik

  Hi Jesika,

  I used to bite my nails too (pretty much from birth til age 16). In my teens I discovered "Sally Hansen's Maximum Growth" nailpolish system at the drugstore one day on a holiday to California. I followed the program exactly for the 10 days they said and came out with beautiful long nails. I never again bit my nails, they looked so purdy.

  You could give the Sally Hansen's stuff a try.

  Or, you could go get your nails done by a pro.
  Perhaps enjoying the nice nails look will help you avoid this habit.
  However, fake nails can wreck the nail bed.

  There are also some nail products that taste bad. You could try that.
  Puts a bad taste in yer mouth every time you go to chew.
  I've never tried that, so I'm not sure how effective it would be.

  For dramatic effect and shock value take a picture of yourself chewing on your nails and one not chewing on your nails. Ingrain this into your mind.
  
  Alternatively, and perhaps more effectively, you could go see a behavior therapist.
  They can offer help "i hear" with changing deeply ingrained unwanted habits.

  Most importantly, give yourself permission to do some positive caregiving to your hands.
  Perhaps giving yourself a manicure every week or even every few days would help to re-wire your mind on this habit. Spend time painting your nails, even just clear colored if you like the natural look. Remind yourself that you deserve ta look purdy and feel good about yerself and your hands and nails.

  Good Luck. I know itz tuff to change habits like this but You Can Do It!

  SPAZ
• 

  SPAZnik

  Oh, and another fun positive thing you could do to your hands is get some of those temporary tattoos (i like the "henna" ones) and put them on your hands.

  Spend time applying and admiring those, rather than biting.
• 

  Elsewhere

  Pbhthth... I can help ya... easy. All you have to do is look at Gawd's Word (TM):

  And if ever your hand makes you stumble, cut it off; it is finer for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go off into Gehen'na, into the fire that cannot be put out. -- Matt. 9:43

  Just get one of these babies from an office supply store:

  It's called a Paper Trimmer... I'm sure you've used one before.

  Instead of trimming a stack of papers, you can trim your fingers off. Once you do that... you won't have any nails or nuckles to bite on.

  Oh, and here are some nice gloves that you might want to get once you are done:

  Edited by - Elsewhere on 4 February 2003 20:25:55
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  NewLight2

  Jesika,

  I used to bite my nails too - from early childhood to age 23 - I could not seem to stop, either. I hated it. My hands were always "icky". But one glorious day, I looked down and saw that ONE nail had started to grow out. I think it was on one of my thumbs. I just made a simple decision to "leave it there", for now, and not to chew it for the moment. It was only that one nail. I did not tell myself that I could NEVER chew it, just that I was going to leave it alone "that time". Then I made another decision. I decided to chew all the other nails, but to let the one grow. It worked. I tried it on another nail, then another. Pretty soon I had nails on all of my fingers. If the nails got in my way, I clipped them shorter, but still left enough nail to prove I hadn't chewed it. I have been free of the habit now for more then 30 years. It CAN be done!

  NewLight2
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  Mum

  Every time you bite a nail, you have to send $5 to the Watchtower Society or whatever they're calling themselves these days.

  If that doesn't work, can you wear gloves day and night until you break the habit of putting finger to mouth?

  It won't be easy, but you can do it. I know you can.

  SandraC
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  NewLight2

  Just had another thought - Try putting clear nail polish on, then when tempted to "chew" - chew the nail polish off instead of a nail.

  Edited by - NewLight2 on 4 February 2003 20:30:30
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  Nathan Natas

  Edited by - Nathan Natas on 4 February 2003 23:35:42
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  Solace

  Awww,

  To those who are teasing, be nice, its very hard to kick this habit!

  Jesika,

  I bit my nails all my life, it was awful.

  About 6 months before I got married, my sister mentioned that I would most likely be getting my hands photographed at the wedding, because of our rings etc.

  I could have died, I hadnt even thought of that. I was determined to stop biting them, so my nails would be decent enough to be photographed.

  This is what I did.

  I noticed what usually what prompted me to bite them was my being nervous etc. so I chewed alot of sugarless gum. I also kept an emery board in my purse or pocket. A snagged nail was also a sure way to get me to bite. If I filed it smooth before I had a chance to bite, I wasnt as tempted.

  I also tried to keep a light coat of clear nail polish on them, no matter how short they were. For some reason, I wasnt nearly as tempted to bite smooth polished nails as I was to bite jagged or snagged nails. Also, if I was really bored or nervous, I just peeled the polish off instead off, instead of biting them

  This is a picture of my nails on my wedding day.

  My sister insists they were fake but I know they werent. I was so proud of curing myself, this was the longest my nails had ever been so I painted them obnoxiously bright red, something I had never done in my life.

  I swore I would never bite my nails again, and I havent.

  I also swore I would never wear obnoxiously bright red nail polish again, and I havent.

  Well, except on maybe my toes.

  Good luck hun, I hope you can beat this.
• 

  meadow77

  O.K. I responded to this thread like 3 hours ago, but I have no idea what happened to my posts and now everything has basically been suggested... or has it?

  Have you tried herione, or maybe just getting so sloshed everynight that you can;t even find your nails? Could help.Seriously, I have had the same problem, so I know where your at. I used suckers. Cause I found myself gnawing on everything like a rabid dog. So, I tried to keep a large supply of suckers on hand, or rather in my mouth, to keep me from chewing on my nails. Your dentist may not be too keen on it, but I found it helps.Good luck
• 

  Billygoat

  Hi Jes!

  I did the fake nail thing for years to curb my biting. It worked. Now I've got the acrylics off and my nails are pretty decent. Only thing is that my nail beds have been permanently damaged. Some of my nails curl down when I grow them pretty long. Although I don't know if the damage is from biting or acrylics, I don't recommend the acrylic method. It really isn't healthy.

  I DID use the rubber band method for cursing. Worked pretty well. Anytime I caught myself saying a bad word I'd snap that rubber band so hard it would welt!! I also told all my friends I was trying to quit cursing, so they also kept me accountable. Every now and then someone would snap the rubber band for me and it'd catch me off guard. But it works. I don't cuss that bad anymore. I still slip now and again.

  I really think the clear polish method might work for you. It's cheap and easy. Get the quick drying stuff so you aren't spending a ton of time on it.

  Hope you're doing well!

  Love,

  Andi