My Nail Biter’s Story

Nail Biting Was a Lifelong Habit and Problem for Me

I bit my nails for decades. Many of my family members were also afflicted with nail biting. It was a habit my mother never was able to break the the habit. Basically, to make a pun of it, nail biting sucks! At least, I never met a person who was happy and proud to be a nail biter.

Nail biting is like many other habits or addictions. We don’t start out to fall victim to something, but somehow we end up doing things to ourselves that harm us and cause us pain and embarrassment. While nail biting is not an addiction by medical terms, those who bite their nails will tell you it feels just as hard to quit as any addiction. I know it sure did for me.

After years of attempts to quit, which all ended in failure, I was about ready to give up hope on ever getting rid of my nail biting habit. But, I decided to give it one last try and to do things differently than before. That would be to do as much research as possible and to keep a record of my efforts so that I could document my results through trial and error. In other words, note what worked and didn’t work and refine the process to a point where I could get control.

I Had to Dig Deep and Focus on Getting Results to Stop Nail Biting

I found just intently focusing on quitting was a big help. We will become tomorrow what we think about today. I realized I had spent a lot time subconsciously thinking about grooming my nails. I inspected them physically through touch and looked at them frequently. Always on the alert to address a jagged edge or rough cuticle or skin spot around the nail. I was surprised at how much time I devoted to nail biting. Even though some of it was a form of multi-tasking if you can consider watching TV and biting your nails to be multi-tasking. All in all, it amounted a lot of time working on something that I suppose relieved stress or boredom, but ultimately only gave me shame and regret.

After doing a lot of research in which I bought books, programs and products, I found none of them put me in control for the long haul. Nearly all had some redeeming value in the short run, but none were there to help days, weeks, or months later. You see, just learning how to stop is not the same as learning how to quit for good.

Nearly anyone can quit nail biting for a while. Just use some event or short term goal to help you with your will power. Or add some product or method, such as nasty tasting polish, to help you stop nail biting initially. You’re getting married, you are going to be photographed for a special event, you are looking for work, or for a boyfriend or girlfriend. This all fine until after the event, or after some time when your nails have grown out and you can see white tips on the ends. This is when you are at the greatest danger of relapsing.

Relapses Are the Curse and Constant Companion of Nail Biters Who Can’t Quit for Good

Relapsing occurs because you erroneously think you have defeated your lifelong habit when you have only shelved it for a while. It is still part of you, and being the determined bad habit it is, it is just waiting for the right moment to come roaring back. No amount of polish, hypnotism or other methods can help you then. That is the key thing I learned and is a major reason I am able to maintain my nails looking good today.

I admit, I still find myself unconsciously feeling my cuticles or jagged rough nail edge and the desire to fix it using my teeth or pulling with my grown nails, which are better than ever at grasping a dry hangnail that is begging to be released. What is different now is that I have trained myself how to get away from such temptation and how to avoid acting on the impulse to bite my nails or pull my cuticles.

It wasn’t easy, but I figured out a method that works anywhere, anytime and under any circumstances that I can put to use to stop the temptation, avoid the biting urge and distract my thoughts with positive mental images that put me back on track to keeping my nails looking good.

Through Research, Observation, Determination and Trial and Error, I Developed Methods to Stop Nail Biting

What I learned worked so well that others who noticed my results and who were also nail biters asked how I did it. It is not easy for most nail biters to start a conversation with someone about their bad habit. We mostly just live in shame and private desperation. So, I knew when I was being approached that it took courage and it took a desire to quit. Since I had already concluded that tools and techniques aside, the major component to successfully quit nail biting was to have the desire to quit and that it had to be stronger than the desire to bite. That is easy to say, especially for non-nail biters, but it is much harder to do for those afflicted with this nasty habit.

I got so much positive feedback on my methods that I was encouraged to write a book so I could help others. I reluctantly decided to do that although a big part of me just wanted to distance myself from my past with regard to this habit. However, I decided that helping others might be the thing that helped me maintain my newly grown nails. If I had to talk about it, it just added another layer of defense around my  ability to stay clean from nail biting.  I also realized my mother and others who never had the chance to learn how to quit would have loved the opportunity and in their honor, I went ahead with the book.

My book, How to Stop Nail Biting, is your ticket to new nails and the confidence that comes with them

The book is called, How to Stop Nail Biting. It is available on Amazon.com and most other online bookstores. You can order at any regular store too. Conquering a personal bad habit that has vexed and embarrassed you for your whole life has rewards that money cannot buy. I hope you will try. You practially have nothing to lose but your nail biting habit.

Whether you try the book or not, you are invited to join a free online community site and forum I started to help you learn how to quit nail biting. It is called Nail Biters Anonyomous. You can go there by clicking on: www.NailBitersAnonymous.com. Good luck with quitting. Start believing today you can and you are taking the first steps to making one of the most positive changes you can make in your personal life.