Forums and blogs that are about wellness and mental health are often asked the question: “How to stop biting my nails?” This comes as no surprise to health professionals, because many people are compulsive nail biters. The clinical name for the condition is “onychophagia.”
If the fact that nail biting has a clinical name makes you nervous and you immediately start biting your nails, it should come as no surprise. Anxiety and nervousness are two common reasons why people start biting their nails.
Freudian psychologists consider nail biting to be an oral fixation. In the same way that infants suck their thumb or a dummy to help them sleep, some adults unconsciously are looking for security from having something in their mouths.
Not every psychologists agrees that this is the reason for nail biting, but they are agreed on one thing: biting your nails is a problem that needs to be dealt with. That’s not to say that you have to check yourself into a clinic, though. There are many less radical ways to break the habit.
Since nail biting is done unconsciously, anything that makes you conscious of what you’re doing will help you begin to deal with it. You can buy over the counter products that you paint on your nails, for one thing. These are harmless, but taste so bitter you will lurch back your finger as soon as you taste it. If you do this regularly, it may break the habitual cycle of nail biting.
If your habit is not too far out of control, try simply getting regular manicures. Many women who habitually bite their nails have found that a nice coat of nail polish in a bright color reminds them not to bite their nails and gives them an incentive to stop. Men can file their nails neatly and apply clear polish.
Learning relaxation techniques like meditation can also help break your nail biting habit, along with a lot of other compulsive habits. Many people have stopped biting their nails, quit smoking and gotten over many other destructive habits just as a result of learning to meditate. The feeling of inner peace just seems to make these habits go away.
Don’t give up. You can stop biting your nails. Try these techniques and see if they help. If not, ask an expert, “How to stop biting my nails?’ Keep trying until you succeed!
Master the Keys to Stop Biting Nails in 30 days.