Nail biting is a pretty common sign of stress or anxiety, so it’s not surprising that a lot of people tend to bite their nails when going through divorce, litigation issues or are just trying to navigate their way through daily life.
But it’s not the greatest habit to fall into.
Doing this can introduce germs into your mouth and potentially cause damage to your teeth.
It can also harm the nail bed and cause small cuts around your skin, leaving you vulnerable to infections.
It is very common to bite your nails when we are anxious about divorce and other litigation issues. Other people bite their nails because they are bored. However, bitten nails don’t look good and there will come a time when someone will mention the state of your nails look, or you may have to attend an occasion and you don’t want your nails to give the game away that you are stressed. Perhaps you may want to give a better impression of yourself and bitten nails will let you down.
Whatever the reason, there are many ways you can stop biting your nails
Use bitter nail polish
Search up where your local chemist is and ask for bitter tasting nail polish. Apply this to your nails. This is a highly effective method of reducing your nail biting habit. Eventually you will stop. The major downfall to using this method is that you must remember not to rub your eyes with your fingers!
Use silicone nail biting guards when at home
These finger guards are breathable and come in packets of 10 – one for each finger. If you are bored or watching TV they will stop you biting your nails.
Apply false acrylic nails
You can apply false acrylic nails on top of your natural nails. Your hands will look great and manicured. Your natural nails will grow underneath the acrylic nails. The only drawback is that the acrylic nails could weaken your existing nails.
Manicure your existing nails
You can visit a beautician and get a manicure on your existing nails. This will make them look good and the fact they look so good could make you want to stop biting them.
Chew gum
Chewing gum could divert your attention away from biting your nails because your mouth will be busy chewing gum instead of trying to munch on your nails.
Wear gloves when you are out and about
Wearing gloves will prevent your mouth getting to your nails however, this method is easy to do in the winter and exceptionally hard in the summer.
Trim your nails short
If your nails are neatly trimmed short, then you’ll find it hard to bite them because there won’t be much to bite. This lack of satisfaction may help you break the habit of biting your nails. If you need to find something else to satisfy the feeling of needing to bite your nails, our next tip might help!
Use a stress ball
Occupying your hands with a stress ball has been shown to reduce nail biting. Nail biting can come from feelings of boredom, leaving your body in need of some sort of physical stimulation. A stress ball will also divert your attention away from biting your nails to repeatedly squeezing the stress ball.
Identify what triggers you
By recognising when and what situations you tend to bite your nails in, you can ease your way out of this habit. These could be situations that make you stressed or anxious. Even boredom can make you want to do this due to the need for physical stimulation (see tip #8). So, by identifying the causes, you can find ways to reduce being in these situations or find better ways to handle them mentally if they are difficult to avoid.
If you know any more ways to stop you biting your nails please let us know on our forum and social media! Share some of your thoughts with others and start a conversation.
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We do not offer any form of medical or psychological advice. The information in our wellbeing articles are offered for educational purposes only. Our wellbeing articles are not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease. Thank you.
