How to get rid of the habit of biting your nails: tips that help

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• 05-10-2020
• Author: Mysekret Team
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Many adults, when answering the question “Do you have bad habits,” answer: “No,” completely forgetting that these include not only smoking or abusing alcoholic beverages. A common bad habit is nail biting. Let’s try to figure out where it comes from and how to stop doing it once and for all.

Where does the habit of biting nails come from?

Scientists have found that the habit of biting nails develops in children as young as 4 years old. If you do not stop it in time, already as adults, many continue to constantly keep their fingers in their mouths, gnawing everything “at the root.” But chewed nails in adulthood not only look sloppy, but can also interfere with your personal life or career. Well, what kind of restaurant director would want his employees to present menus to customers and show off their nails chewed to the point of bleeding? What about working at the post office, as an accountant or as a doctor? All this presupposes an involuntary demonstration of one’s own hands, so it will be difficult to hide such an obvious flaw. And running to a specialist every day to get your manicure corrected is expensive, because it takes both time and money.

What do psychologists say?

To stop biting your fingernails, you need to understand the reason why many continue to do this throughout their lives. Experts identify several factors that provoke the desire to bite nails in adulthood. This:

• anxiety;
• stress.

There is even a scientific name for this habit - “onychophagy”. This is exactly what psychology calls one of the types of obsessive-compulsive mental disorder, the consequence of which a person is sure

The main reason that provokes the habit of biting nails is stress and anxiety.

Don't be embarrassed to admit if you start biting your nails due to stress, because you are not alone. When examining a group of people over 27 years of age, scientists found high anxiety in 100% of the subjects.

Why is it difficult to stop biting your nails?

It is precisely because the habit of biting nails in adults is associated with a psychological state that it is difficult to give it up on your own. Many are sure that this is the only way they can concentrate on work. Others express dissatisfaction with themselves on a subconscious level by causing harm to themselves. And the sight of bitten nails often makes you do it with even greater intensity.

How is this harmful?

Nail biting usually does not cause permanent harm to your health. Although there are also cases that require complex medical decisions, for example, if the nail bed is damaged

, from which nail growth comes. In the most severe cases, a person may lose a nail.

During a pandemic, we should not forget that touching your mouth with your hands increases the risk of contracting coronavirus.

flu or cold: viral particles from surfaces and hands will move to the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, where they can begin to multiply.

Not only viruses, but also bacteria

, including salmonella and E. coli. From the hands they can get into the mouth and cause problems with the gastrointestinal tract - there is even a case described when a woman developed appendicitis this way. A 2007 study conducted by the Faculty of Dentistry at Ataturk University in Erzurum, Turkey, found that 76% of people who bit their nails had E. coli and other dangerous bacteria in their saliva - versus 26.5% of those who did not bite their nails.

Other unpleasant consequences: infections around the nails (everyone who has torn out a piece of skin from part of a nail knows this), damage to teeth and gums, bad breath.

How to stop biting your fingernails

The first thing psychologists recommend doing is to find out the time when you started biting your nails, and then understand the reasons. Since severe stress contributes to this in adulthood, it is necessary to turn to specialists to eliminate the cause of anxiety and become calmer and more balanced.

For children

If the habit stems from childhood, it will not be so difficult to cope with it, because it is often associated with the child’s protest. He explores the world, performs certain actions, but he is told “not to.” It is the ban that provokes the desire to continue doing what adults do not allow. If the child is over 4 years old, you can explain to him the negative consequences that may follow if he does not stop biting his nails. This includes infection in the body, distortion of the nail plate, and an aesthetically untidy appearance.

It is more difficult to explain the negative consequences to children over 12 years of age, since they spend a lot of time out of sight of adults and are left to their own devices. And youthful maximalism is also raging, when it is extremely difficult to cope with the desire to do everything in defiance of adults.

When talking doesn't help, you need to take a number of techniques that our grandmothers and mothers used. Most of them are associated with causing discomfort when fingers enter the mouth.

• Nails and fingers were treated with aloe juice, onion, red or black pepper;
• Someone prepared a special bitter herbal decoction from wormwood. You need to hold your hands in it for several minutes.

You can also offer your child to replace his nails with something. They often chew on them to keep themselves busy, so make sure that your baby does not get bored, is constantly active and does not find time for a bad habit.

For adults

For an adult who has acquired the habit of biting his nails, it is much more difficult to get rid of it. This is because fingers treated with something bitter does not stop everyone, because they know very well that if they wash their hands, the problem will be solved.

• Experts recommend paying attention to pharmaceutical products . There is a special varnish that helps you stop biting your nails. It is transparent, dries quickly, and tastes bitter and unpleasant. This effect will quickly eliminate the desire to keep your fingers in your mouth.
• Another secret is covering your nails with gel or acrylic . As a result of this procedure, they become dense, so it is much more difficult to chew them off. And the amount spent on a manicure always comes to mind and it becomes a pity to spoil the beauty.
• The most effective way to quit the habit of biting your nails is to understand yourself . By understanding at what moments the desire to do this appears and eliminating negative factors, you can change your own life for the better.

Why do children and teenagers bite their nails?

A child bites his nails for some reason: curiosity, boredom, stress relief, habit or imitation. That's why they bite their nails. Onychophagia is one of the most common of the group of “nervous habits”. These include things like thumb sucking, nose picking, hair twisting or pulling, and teeth grinding.

IMPORTANT . Growing up can make children and teens anxious, and many of these stresses and pressures are invisible to parents. If a child bites moderately (without hurting himself) and unconsciously (while watching TV, for example), or if he tends to bite in response to specific situations (such as performances or tests), this is just his way of coping with minor stress . In these cases, there is no need to worry.

Most likely, the child will stop without assistance. If onychophagia continues longer than desired, or if it is an uncontrollable habit, there are simple ways to stop your child from biting his nails, which we will look at shortly. In the meantime, a few photos - what happens when you bite your nails.

How to stop biting your nails: 5 simple steps to break the habit

To stop biting your nails, you need to use more than just pharmaceutical products. Don't leave all the work to them. It is necessary to make independent efforts to cope with the disease. And this is what psychologists recommend.

1. To get rid of anxiety, you need to learn to relax. Use music, yoga, meditation. Learn to disconnect from problems and control your own thoughts. Complete relaxation will help you reboot and become calmer and more tolerant.
2. You need to keep yourself busy. Often, chewed nails are the result of not only stress, but also boredom. Find hobbies that won't let you get bored.
3. Keep in front of you (especially when working at the computer) something that you can chew: sticks, nuts, seeds.
4. Ask your acquaintances and friends to reprimand you. The desire to look better in the public eye often has a positive effect on thinking and behavior.
5. Use special products to cover your nails, because most often it’s the “bare” ones that get bitten. Once you compact them, the habit loses all meaning because it causes inconvenience.

Scary manicure design

Some girls can make their nails look scary on purpose. They can do a very neat and clean manicure, but the design will be very creepy. Most often, such a manicure is done before themed parties and holidays, for example, Halloween. Only professional craftsmen who have artistic skills can make such drawings.

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Summarize

The habit of biting nails in children is mainly associated with boredom. As soon as you distract them, offer something in return, they lose interest in their own hands.

For teenagers over 12 years old, psychologists recommend looking for an approach from the aesthetic side. It is worth explaining once again that bitten nails look unsightly, or can cause infection or bacteria to enter the body. And this will lead to unpleasant and lengthy treatment.

In order for an adult to give up the idea of ​​biting his nails forever, he needs both friendly and psychological help. It is important to eliminate the causes of increased anxiety in order to quit the bad habit.

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Maximum long nails

Some women give themselves such a manicure in order to stand out and attract the attention of others. For example, they can grow indecently long nails. Of course, there is no benefit from such a manicure and it is completely inconvenient, but the public may be interested in it. Some are even willing to pay large sums of money to see such nails.

Singer Chris Walton has become the owner of the longest manicure in the world. The maximum length of nails is 91 cm. A woman absolutely loves her nails and loves to take care of them.

READ ALSO: Hair becomes electrified: possible causes and solutions to the problem

Red and black manicure

Despite the fact that red and black manicure is considered the base color, some nail technicians may accidentally ruin the appearance of their nails. A black manicure can also attract some attention.

The appearance of a manicure can be ruined either independently or by a manicurist if a girl does not attach special importance to her nails. Therefore, it is always worth paying maximum attention to the choice of a master in order to avoid such a terrible manicure.

What do you think about this? Which manicure do you think is the most disgusting?

Stages of European children's manicure

1. The child's surfaces, instruments, and hands are disinfected.
2. The master processes the edge of the nail with a special file, leaving 1 mm of the nail length.
3. Then a cuticle softener is applied. If the child is 14 years old, then the edge is moved back with an orange stick and trimmed with nail scissors intended for children.
4. The base varnish is applied and the design chosen by the small client is carried out. In this case, only special varnishes that do not contain triphenyl phosphate are used.
5. The manicure is secured with a top coat, and a moisturizer is applied to the hands and cuticle area.

Distraction method

A good way to return bitten nails, as in the photo, to normal is to try to be distracted. The method is not bad for those who bite their nails due to nervous tension. As soon as you catch yourself biting your nail, distract yourself and replace this action with another one that also requires fine motor skills. Thanks to this, irritation will not increase in you due to the need to control yourself.

Currently, many anti-stress devices are produced. These include balls, and all kinds of tabletop devices such as pendulums, and even jewelry with movable elements. Thus, as soon as you feel the urge to bite your nails, start moving the bracelet element or squeezing the anti-stress ball.

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