![\"How](\"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/howtostop.jpg\")
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I started biting my nails when I was 5-years-old.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t like the feeling of getting my nails clipped, and I figured nail biting would solve my problems.\u00a0 If I had my nails bitten down to nothing, there wouldn\u2019t be anything to trim.<\/p>\n
It worked, but over the years I was met with a new problem.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t stop.\u00a0 Whenever I was anxious, bored, deep in thought, or caught up in a TV show, my hand went to my mouth, and once again my nails were gone.<\/p>\n
Every New Year my resolution was the same.\u00a0 This would be the year I\u2019d stop biting my nails.\u00a0 Like so many New Year\u2019s resolutions, it was usually rescinded by January 7th.<\/p>\n
I tried bitter nail solutions that make your nails taste bad if you bite them\u2026 and soon realized that after a nibble or two the taste was gone.\u00a0 I had people tell me to wear a rubber band on my wrist and snap myself whenever I bit a nail, but I\u2019m not the self-punishing sort.\u00a0 I just couldn\u2019t go there.\u00a0 I wore acrylic nails for a while thinking that I\u2019d get out of the habit, but they made my nails underneath weak and wavy.\u00a0 After the acrylics came off, they were thinner and unhealthier than before, which made it even harder to grow them.<\/p>\n
One time as an adult, though, I got close to quitting for good.\u00a0 I was able to not bite for quite a while, and then I decided to celebrate by getting a manicure.\u00a0 The manicurist trimmed and filed my nails down to nothing, and I was back to square one.\u00a0 Feeling defeated, I decided to give up on the whole thing.<\/p>\n
By the time I was getting married, I told the wedding photographer not to bother with the usual shots of rings on hands and whatnot.\u00a0 With wedding planning in high gear, there was no way that I was going to add \u201cdrop lifelong habit\u201d to my list of to-do\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Then a month ago, I was at a gathering along with a woman who had a beautiful French manicure.\u00a0 (I\u2019ve always loved the look of those.)\u00a0 I complimented her on it and she asked why I didn\u2019t get one too.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I can\u2019t,\u201d I said with a shrug.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a nail biter.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the car ride home, it occurred to me what a silly reason that was to not have something I wanted.\u00a0 There are so many things that we deny ourselves because of costs, time, or because we feel we lack the power to make the change we want. \u00a0But long, pretty nails?\u00a0 Those are entirely in my control.<\/p>\n
So I set out to quit the nail biting habit.\u00a0 It has been one month, and here\u2019s what I\u2019ve learned along the way.<\/p>\n
How To Stop Biting Nails<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1.\u00a0 Like any other change, you have to really want it.<\/strong><\/p>\n Without desire, there can be no real commitment and therefore no real change.\u00a0 In the past, I\u2019d focused on what I was giving up \u2013 a habit that reduced my stress.\u00a0 This time I focused on what I was gaining \u2013 pretty hands that I could feel proud to show.<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0 Refocus your energy.<\/strong><\/p>\n Whenever I felt the urge to bite my nails, I\u2019d pamper them instead.\u00a0 I\u2019d lather on moisturizer<\/a>, clean them, tidy them, or paint them.<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0 If you feel tempted to take a nibble, try aversion tactics.<\/strong><\/p>\n Do an image search and look at pictures on the internet of bitten up nails.\u00a0 When they\u2019re your own hands, you get used to them, but when you see the nails on other people, you realize how unattractive it looks.\u00a0 Or do an image search for long, healthy nails, and imagine how good you\u2019ll feel when your hands look that way too.<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0 If you get a snag or split, don\u2019t use your teeth to fix it.<\/strong><\/p>\n A little nibble to shape things up doesn\u2019t go anywhere good.\u00a0 Get a nice file and nail trimmer, and keep your nails looking neat and orderly.<\/p>\n 5.\u00a0 Don\u2019t give up because of one tear.<\/strong><\/p>\n It can be disappointing when a crack, snag, or overeager nail technician takes down your longest nail.\u00a0 Don\u2019t use that as a reason to give up altogether.\u00a0 Quitting today won\u2019t get you closer to your goal of long nails.<\/p>\n 6.\u00a0 Use bright polish as a way of distracting yourself from your progress.<\/strong><\/p>\n I bought nail polishes that were on the bright side, so that they\u2019d mask the white growing underneath.\u00a0 Out of sight, out of mind.\u00a0 By the time I removed the polish, I\u2019d made a lot of headway, which encouraged me to keep going.<\/p>\n 7.\u00a0Enjoy the simple perks that come with your fledgling nails.<\/strong><\/p>\n Simply scratching an itch feels so much more satisfying with longer nails. \u00a0I can tell that my cats are enjoying this upgrade, and I am too! \u00a0Pay attention to those little pleasures that your new nails give you – whether it’s the ability to easily remove ice from the tray or remove a sticker from an apple.<\/p>\n 8. \u00a0Treat yourself for your progress.<\/strong><\/p>\n A new ring, nail polish<\/a>, or hand lotion is a terrific way of saying, \u201cGood job, me!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Have you ever quit a bad habit?\u00a0 What worked for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n Image Credit: Photo by Cadry Nelson<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I started biting my nails when I was 5-years-old.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t like the feeling of getting my nails clipped, and I figured nail biting would solve my problems.\u00a0 If I had my nails bitten down to nothing, there wouldn\u2019t be anything to trim. It worked, but over the years I was met with a new […] More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":11341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[15],"tags":[7787,7788,7789,7790,7791,6158],"apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/howtostop.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11340"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11340\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}