Nail Biting!!

[Purple Fish]

Hey!

I can`t stop nibbling my nails!! I know it`s due to stress and I`m being treated for this. I grew my nails lovely a few months ago but I can`t leave them alone at the moment!
Any tips???

Tanya x

[shoegal]

Sorry I can't offer you any advice - I've bitten my nails my whole life! Just out of interest, what help are you getting for that?

[Purple Fish]

I went to see a therapist last week. It was called Thought Field Therapy and it was to help my stress/anxiety related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It involved `tappin` like Paul McKenna does.
It really helped and the therapist said as my stress decreases it should stop my nail biting.

Tanya x

[paulcooper02]

I stopped biting my nails as well, then I stopped smoking so bit them all off again. Just before all my stress happened I again grew them but once more they are no longer. Maybe when I start my CBT and start to see the benefits I can try and stop again. Oh and for the record, yes I'm smoking again too.

[Bluebelle]

I was the worst nail biter ! I bit them until they bled- so gross.
I tried everything hypnosis , those stupid bitter tasting nail polishes etc. Nothing worked for me .
Then I tried just wearing nailpolish and it worked- I haven't bitten my nails in 20 years- but I have had to wear nailpolish .
Just this Jan 1st I decided to try going nailpolish-less- thinking I could manage not biting my nails as it has been 20 years since I was a bitter. No such luck !

So I am still wearing nailpolish but I am not biting my nails. You might want to try wearing nailpolish.

Good Luck you can do it !

[Purple Fish]

Thanks, Im tryin the nail polish thing but I`m not allowed to wear it for work so I have to be careful. I think I need a skin coloured varnish!!

[shoegal]

I'm very interested in this 'thought field therapy'. Is it like NLP (neuro-linguistic programming)?

[shoegal]

To stop me biting my nails I coat my nails in a hard layer of nail glue (the type you use for false nails). Then I file them smooth and coat my nails in nail varnish. I have found this to be THE ONLY WAY I can stop biting my nails. When the varnish chips I have to do the whole process again otherwise I start chewing the flaky nail varnish off! Ewwwww!

[Purple Fish]

I like the idea of the nail glue, I may give that a try!

I suppose the Thought Field Therapy is a bit like hypnosis cos I had to close my eyes a lot of the time and imagine I was somewhere else therefore training myself to change the way I thought about the trauma I went through. And to be honest if I do try to think about what I went through all I remember now is what the therapist said to me and where she wanted me to imagine I was!!

Off to get some nail glue today! lol

Tanya x

[shoegal]

Get brush on glue if you can. The one I use is by Nailene. It leaves a lovely smooth coating on your nails and makes them nice and hard. Then I file off any jagged edges because it's biting those that gets me started... . I find I have to repeat the process every couple of days but I think messing about looking after my nails replaces my need to fidget and bite my nails, lol. It's also important to look after your cuticles as I find I sometimes chew those too.

Hope this helps you.