How to Stop Biting Your Nails? Read This!
We’ve all been there – the temptation of trying to trim your fingernails with the help of your teeth only to be left with a jagged edge that looks unprofessional and unappealing. Biting your nails is not only an unsightly habit, but it’s also one of the easiest ways to get dirt and grime in your system throughout the day.
Even if you take a few moments to consider the number of things you touch on your way into work in the morning, putting your fingernails in your mouth might seem less interesting. With that being said, it’s a habit that a lot of people have issues with kicking.
Below are some great ways that you can stop biting your nails to help your nail beds stay healthy and to stop people from avoiding you when they see you gnawing away at your fingers.
Step 1: Find the Triggers
With every habit or addiction, there is always a trigger that comes along with an action, meaning something that causes you to want to bite your nails. For example, if you’re the type of person who gets overwhelmed in public and you resort to biting to calm yourself down or if you simply don’t have nail care tools at home and you find yourself gnawing away at your nails to keep them sort, those are two triggers.
Once you’ve identified exactly what it is that makes you bite your nails, you’ll be able to work on fixing the problem simply by either avoiding the triggers or fixing the triggers. If your fingernail biting is as a result of severe anxiety, then it’s time to focus on fixing the root issue with a professional. Whereas, if you find that you’re biting your nails simply because you don’t have a clipper or file on you, then it’s time to go to the dollar store and start carrying nail tools around with you.
Step 2: Paint Your Nails
If you’re the type of person that doesn’t wear nail polish, it’s about time for you to invest in a bottle or two of dark-colored polish that you’ll be able to apply. This is one of the key tips that plenty of people use to stop biting their nails simply because the idea of having colored chips of nail polish on your teeth throughout the day is something that they’d prefer to avoid. Imagine, you’re getting ready for a meeting that you’re nervous about and you bite a big chunk of your middle fingernail off, only to have a chunk of black nail polish right on your front tooth.
That alone could be one of the most embarrassing things, as people will stare at you and try to wonder whether you have an oral disease or if you simply don’t care about your oral hygiene. You’re going to want to opt for a dark nail polish as it will be more likely to show up on your teeth if you give into your habit.
Step 3: Invest in Nail Care
It’s quite often that people are more likely to avoid doing things that cause them to lose money or not get much out of their investment. For example, you wouldn’t be likely to spend $50 on a shirt that’s two sizes too small or that isn’t your style in the least. This same rule applies to if you bite your nails, as you’re going to be very unlikely to put your fingers in your mouth if you’re paying $50 per week to get them done. This is perfect for men that typically don’t pay too much attention to their nail care, as a simple manicure takes time out of your day and money out of your pocket, money that you wouldn’t want to put to waste simply because you want to bite your nails.
You can even consider getting UV gel or shellac on your nails, which makes them relatively impossible to bite off simply because the coatings make your nails much thicker and stronger than ever before.
Step 4: Anti-Biting Nail Polish
When you were a kid, your parents likely threatened you with a bottle of anti-biting nail polish every time you put your fingers in your mouth. In all honesty, this product is one of the most unappealing edible items on the market because it has a similar taste to a chemical medicinal product that you shouldn’t be putting in your mouth. You would apply this top coat (as it typically is clear) to all of your nails and every time you went to put them in your mouth, the disgusting taste it left behind on your tongue would surely discourage nail biting.
Even though you’re likely an adult now, using an anti-biting nail polish as a coat on top of your colored polish or simply on top of your nails is a phenomenal way to prevent yourself from biting anything on your hands.
Step 5: Hold Yourself Accountable
Above all else, it’s important that you make sure you’re holding yourself accountable – especially if you’re someone who enjoys biting their fingernails throughout the day. It’s easy to tell when your habit is about to take over, especially when it’s a physical response, such as nail biting. There are plenty of ways that you can hold yourself accountable, such as slapping your hand when it starts to go to your mouth or putting an elastic band around your wrist that you can pop against your skin when you want to bite.
The more aware you are of your habit, the less likely you are to do it, especially if you’re able to retrain your habit into becoming non-existent.
Final Thoughts
Nail biting is something that adults shouldn’t have to deal with, especially when your hand hygiene is one of the first things people notice. You’re surely not going to want to be known as the person who always has their hands in their mouth and will spit or eat their nails throughout the day because they have a terrible habit. Not to mention, you’re putting an unworldly amount of bacteria and germs into your mouth every time you bite on your nails. With the help of these tips, you’ll be able to get rid of your habit once and for all.
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