When you look at your nails on an average day, what do you see? If you’re like millions of other adults who regularly bite their fingernails, chances are you find yourself looking at irregular surfaces, misshapen cuticles, and other unattractive flaws. By some estimates, somewhere between fifteen percent to half of all adults habitually bite or chew on their nails and cuticles! Naturally, that’s the type of habit that can make your nail care efforts an exercise in futility. Fortunately, there are some strategies that you can use to help end your nail-biting habit for good.
Why We Bite
Nail-Biting is a nervous habit that is deemed to be among the most common stress-related activity in the world. Psychologists believe that the habit itself manifests in people who suffer from the feeling that they have a lack of control over their lives. If true, that would place it among various other forms of obsessive compulsive behavior that manifest as poor habits rather than a full fledged disorder. The problem is that this habit can become addictive if left unaddressed.
Why it’s Harmful
On the surface, this activity might seem harmless. Sure, it leaves your nails looking jagged and unattractive, but they’re just nails – right? Wrong! Persistent nail-biting can leave your fingers sore, reddened, inflamed, and even infected. It can also damage your teeth and gums, both through the grinding effect of the actual biting and because it causes your teeth and gums to come into contact with one of the most routinely dirty and germ-infested part of your body: your hands.
Tips for Breaking the Nail-Biting Habit
Of course, the really important part of all this is that you learn to stop chewing on your nails. Here’s how to effectively end the habit once and for all:
- Approach the process with full commitment. You have to be ready to stop biting your nails before you can actually make this work.
- Figure out what your personal triggers are, so that you understand what causes you to chew on your nails.
- Keep your hands away from your mouth. You’ll have to consciously focus on this, but it is the only way to unlearn this behavior.
- Find a way to replace the nail-biting with other behaviors. Chew gum. Leave your hands in your pocket. Carry a stress ball. In other words, choose some other behavior as an outlet for your stress and nervousness.
- Focus on grooming your nails. By keeping them tidy, you can avoid jagged edges or other imperfections that you might be tempted to chew.
- Use spices or bitter substances to deter you from biting your nails.
- Get regular manicures and work with your manicurist to keep your nails looking their best.
At Tiffany Beauty Spa, we know how frustrating it can be when you’re trying to overcome a bad habit like this. We can help by providing you with the best manicure services in Fort Lauderdale so that you can have that added bit of incentive you need to effectively end your nail-biting habit forever. Give us a call today to discover how we can help you to enjoy the beautiful and healthy nails you deserve.
